To Love or Not to Love
by doseofmyimagination
Summary: Both Sakura and Sasuke are confused about their feelings. Sakura knows she loves Sasuke but perhaps it's time for her to let go of the hope him loving her for the sake of their friendship. Sasuke has finally formed a friendship with Sakura but perhaps it's time for him to realize his feelings are much more than that. Or better yet, does he have the right to feel like that?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: ** For a long time I've always been interested in writing. Due to school and work I haven't had the chance to really get to it until I finally said no more. I decided to start with a SasuSaku fanfiction to earn experience because I simply love their story. And after reading so many good stories I decided it's only fair to contribute as well. FYI, I'm not too familiar about correct story formatting such as how to format text for a flashback or inner thoughts. All criticism especially in this area will be greatly appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. My respects for Kishimoto for creating an amazing manga full of great characters.

* * *

It's been years since she last saw Sasuke Uchiha. The last thing she remembered was him poking her forehead telling her he'll see her soon. Damn, that Uchiha she thought. It was obvious he didn't really understand what soon meant. Sakura had hoped that she'd be able to see him at Naruto's wedding. After all they were best friends. Unfortunately he didn't make it causing her to once again miss him with all her heart. This however didn't prevent her from enjoying her best friend's wedding nor get rid of the happiness she was feeling for him. After all the pain he had to endure he was finally happy and for her that was enough to enjoy the night even if she was disappointed that Sasuke hadn't shown up. As she continued to think about the person she still had strong feelings for; her alarm clock turned on.

"Well Haruno, it's time to get up" she muttered to herself. She immediately stood up to walk towards the restroom. She took a shower, got dressed and prepared her bag to start walking towards the Hokage tower. Kakashi had requested her presence early in the morning. She didn't know why she was being summoned so she was curious especially since he requested her presence in person. Normally Kakashi would provide some more insight when he did but this time there was nothing.

Upon realizing she was late she stormed out of her apartment running and chose to jump from the roofs to get to her destination faster. When she approached the Hokage tower she noticed that the Hokage's window was opened. She knew very well how disrespectful it was for her to enter through the window. But given the circumstance of her tardiness she thought there is always an exception. Besides, her sensei wouldn't get too mad. So she opted to enter through the window. As she was entering the office she immediately started apologizing.

"Sorry sensei for entering through the window. I was running late so figured that…"

She stopped herself when she noticed that none other than Sasuke Uchiha was leaning against a wall with his arms folded staring at her.

"Sakura, how nice of you to finally join us."

Upon hearing her sensei's calm words she turned around to face him and gave him an embarrassed smile.

"Yea, sorry for being late sensei."

"Got lost in the way of life Sakura?"

"Something like that."

"No worries. Anyways, as you can see we have a guest." Kakashi's eyes turned towards Sasuke encouraging Sakura to mimic the gesture.

"I could see that. When did you get here Sasuke?"

"This morning" he replied.

Sakura then turned around to look at Kakashi. "Sensei, is your request to see me this morning related to Sasuke's return or is this coincidence?"

"It's not a coincidence. You were summoned here because Sasuke needs your help."

Shocked and confused Sakura turned to see Sasuke.

"You do?"

"Hn" he nodded.

"You see Sakura, your teammate here has come across a village that was affected drastically by the war. Due to the village's unique location not many shinobi come across it. Sasuke is one of the few who have and has been kind enough to help them out through the years since his first visit. Unfortunately on his last visit he found out the village was attacked by a group of rogue ninjas. The attack from the ninjas caused causalities and many injured villagers. While Sasuke may be an expert on eliminating enemies he is not an expert in healing injuries."

"And that's where I come in."

"Exactly."

"I'm confused though. If the village was recently attacked wouldn't it made sense for Sasuke to stay there and just request help through a message in case the rogue ninjas return?"

At this question Sasuke chose to answer.

"My old team is actually there with them. I contacted them to provide assistance while I made the trip here. The reason I personally came is because of the location of the village. It's hard to find."

_Does that mean he stayed in contact with them while he had left Naruto and me in the dark all these years? Talk about a stab in the heart. _

Whatever the situation, Sakura knew this should be the least of her worries even if she just got heartbroken once again. Therefore she used all of her inner strength to remain indifferent.

_Damn this Uchiha._ _How can someone do so much damage within minutes of being reunited_.

"Oh I see. Will anybody else be joining the mission?"

"No, Sasuke and his old team can handle the ninjas if they return. And you are more than capable to handle the medical side."

"Of course sensei."

"If there are no more questions then you are both dismissed."

Sakura nodded politely to her sensei and walked out of the office in the front door passing by Sasuke without looking at him. Sasuke followed her out of the office.

"Sakura."

_Oh man, what does he want now? C'mon Sakura, just turn around and show him you're unaffected by his presence. Show some pride!_

"Yes Sasuke?"

Her eyes met his eyes causing her to feel her face go warm. Deep inside she was hoping for some sort of indication that he cared about her even if only as a friend.

"I'll meet you in an hour at the front gate" was his only reply.

"Of course." And with that Sakura Haruno turned around to continue walking the direction she was heading. She had no idea how to feel about all of this. In her head she imagined her reunion with him to be so much sweeter. Definitely not how it went.

After Sasuke recovered from the war injuries they actually started to become close to the point she'd consider them friends. Something she couldn't say back when she was a fangirl in their genin days. They became more comfortable with each other and spent more time. Everything felt good. Then she learned about his decision to leave. The growth of her relationship with him encouraged her to ask him if she could come with him. She was denied the request except it didn't feel like a rejection with the surprised gesture he gave her. This is what gave her hope especially to dream for a more heartfelt reunion. Well, at least it was heartfelt just not in the way she wanted it to be. Oh well, she must have looked more into it than she should have. Regardless of her disappointment, she was in no way going to let this affect the mission for she has learned to persevere without him and this time would be no exception.

################################################################################################

**Earlier in the Morning**

"Now Sasuke, you can always change your mind about taking Sakura."

Kakashi was sitting in his chair with the raven haired young man standing in front of him. A few days ago he had a message from Sasuke asking for help. In his message he briefly explained the village's situation and the need for a medic. Without hesitation Kakashi granted Sasuke's request to receive help from Konoha. Kakashi was always glad to help Sasuke especially when his requests were not self-centered. His student has come a long way with his journey of redemption and if he could provide assistance he is happy to do so. But even though he will allow Konoha to send a medic; he was hesitant about letting Sakura go like Sasuke asked. It wasn't because he thought Sakura was incapable of fulfilling the mission or that she was weak. If anything, Sakura was the best suited for this mission. The problem was that unintentionally Sasuke just brought pain to Sakura. Kakashi was aware Sasuke has never meant to hurt her for it really wasn't his fault that Sakura was in love with him. Unfortunately, some things couldn't be helped.

"It's not the first time you say that. Are you implying Sakura can't handle it?" Sasuke was getting a bit irritated with Kakashi. He didn't understand why he kept making comments like those on taking Sakura. Did he think she was incapable? Hard to believe especially after she had proven herself during the war. Even he was impressed after witnessing what she's capable.

"No doubt she can handle it" Kakashi replied.

"Then why keep bringing the subject?"

At this Kakashi just sighed knowing that Sasuke had every right to know why he was hesitant of giving the mission to Sakura. He knew sooner or later this had to be dealt with for the future of Team 7. Except he had hoped it was later than sooner due to the delicate nature especially when neither of his students was at fault.

"She is still in love with you." At these words Sasuke froze feeling nothing but guilt. But why was he feeling guilty?

"Whether you mean to or not; you bring pain to her. You see, she understands that her love could stay unrequited forever. Her love for you is so great that she has accepted this. She will support you in every way as long as you're happy even if your happiness doesn't include her. Regardless of her unselfish love to you; this still brings her pain even if she has learned to hide it. Up to now she has become a prestige kunoichi even with the pain you've caused her. As Hokage, I am aware she can keep handling it. As her former sensei that cares, I don't enjoy seeing her get hurt. For the record, you are not at fault either. See my dilemma?"

Sasuke knew what Kakashi was saying is true. After the war he realized how his actions have impacted Sakura. How much she has suffered for him throughout the years. Before taking off to his journey he witnessed it himself when he saw her saddened face after he denied her request to go with him. He never meant to hurt her with his answer. If anything, she was one of the reasons he needed to leave. During his recovery he had started to mend his relationship with his teammates. At first it was awkward but Naruto and Sakura did their best to make him comfortable. They both welcomed him with opened arms. Without knowing he soon realized he had started to bond more with his teammates especially Sakura. Back in their genin days he would ignore her throwing away the possibility of forming an actual friendship. So when he noticed that his relationship with Sakura now resembled a friendship he was happy. However his nightmares reminded him of his past and as much as his friends cared for him; he still had sins he hasn't paid for. He needed to work for his redemption for his friends and for himself. This is why he made the decision to leave the village to pay for his crimes alone. Sasuke just wanted to deserve the happiness his teammates offered which at that point he did not.

"Why not deny my request to take Sakura since the start to avoid this conversation?"

"I doubt that would have done any good seeing how you're set on taking her specifically. If anything it might have made things worse. I was hoping you'd change your mind on your own. Besides I can't deny she is the most qualified for this mission."

"Then what now?"

"It's your choice Sasuke. But before you answer just think about her feelings when she finds out who is helping you with this. Especially when she believes you never made an attempt to contact her throughout all this time."

For a while Sasuke debated whether to stay firm in his request or change his mind. However if he were to change his mind; it doesn't mean this subject won't be brought up again. Perhaps it's better to start dealing with it now. It's not like he wants to avoid her indefinitely.

"Not only do I know what she can offer to the village; I trust her more than anything. This is why I want her help."

"Very well. Just promise you'll do your best to be careful with her."

"Hn."

"Look at the time! It seems our chat went longer than expected. Good thing Sakura is late."

Minutes later Sasuke felt Sakura's chakra signature nearby until finally he saw her enter through the window with such haste. He saw how Kakashi was a bit amused at her unexpected entrance. Eventually she noticed him and for some reason his heart started to beat faster. It's been a while since her eyes met his eyes. Their eyes last met when he poked her forehead and thanked her. Truth be told, that wasn't the last time he actually saw her. Unknowing to her, he attempted to contact her and Naruto twice only to fail both times. The only one who knew of his attempts was Kakashi.

Sasuke stood there looking at Sakura as she was explained the mission. He couldn't help but think how much she has changed. She wasn't that fangirl that would be all over him within seconds of seeing him. No, this Sakura understood boundaries. As she was being briefed there came the time for him to let her know about the assistance his old team was providing. Sasuke expected her to sadden or display some sort of negative reaction. No such thing occurred though. She was professional and kept her strong posture. Kakashi was right when he said she has learned to hide her emotions when it came to him. When the meeting finally ended he saw how Sakura passed by without looking at him.

_Is she angry with me?_

This action surprised him because it seemed out of character. He imagined she'd welcome him at least with a smile. Nothing like that happened. This bothered him to the point he decided to tell her something. At least that was his intention before changing his mind after Sakura turned around when she heard her name. He ended up just telling her what time to meet him at the front gate. Sasuke at the end chose not to tell her what he wanted simply because he remembered Kakashi's words about her being in love with him and how it was affecting her. Upon analyzing her actions he couldn't help but wonder if that was her finally learning to let go. If it was, then it would have been selfish of him to interrupt the chance she had of liberating herself from the painful love. Therefore he decided to let it be and allow Sakura treat him however she wanted if it meant her freedom.

_After all I don't deserve her unconditional love._

* * *

**Author's Note:** As much as I've always cheered for SasuSaku, I've always known that it would take time for Sasuke to fall in love with Sakura. I don't doubt he always has cared for her. But falling in love is different. So I'd imagined it took him a while to get there.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: ** For a long time I've always been interested in writing. Due to school and work I haven't had the chance to really get to it until I finally said no more. I decided to start with a SasuSaku fanfiction to earn experience because I simply love their story. And after reading so many good stories I decided it's only fair to contribute as well. FYI, I'm not too familiar about correct story formatting such as how to format text for a flashback or inner thoughts. All criticism especially in this area are greatly appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. My respects for Kishimoto for creating an amazing manga full of great characters.

* * *

Sasuke arrived early to where he is supposed to meet Sakura for the mission. He had plenty of time to spare considering he had nowhere to be with Naruto being on a mission. Something he was grateful. Not because he didn't want to see his old teammate. He just had other things to worry about giving him no desire to deal with his loud knucklehead friend yet. Their reunion is not going to be pleasant since he missed his best friend's wedding. Most likely Naruto is going to guilt trip him into doing something he wouldn't do under normal circumstances. Funny enough Sasuke then triggered a memory of them during their recovery after the war.

"_Teme! Oh TEMMMEEEE!"_

_While hearing this loud ruckus he instantly had the urge to kill Naruto. He felt no shame in this. Naruto should know better than to interfere with someone's thinking time. After a while of Naruto yelling he finally caved. He sat up to lean against the wall before turning to see Naruto with a not so happy face. _

"_What do you want dobe?"_

_Naruto just grinned feeling accomplished for annoying his friend and getting away with it. He knew well enough in another time Sasuke wouldn't have hesitated to kill him. Or at least try. Of course Naruto didn't stop there._

"_What's wrong Teme? You look constipated." At this Naruto was holding the laughter he desperately wanted to let go. _

_Sasuke more irritated than before just gave him a death glare. Naruto was definitely testing his patience._

"_Oh I see! You are still butt hurt about what happened yesterday. If you're worried about Sakura-chan not liking you after your fart, don't be. Although I must admit the smell was to run for!"_

"_Tch, again with that?!" _

"_Just accept it Teme, not even you can hide from nature. It happens."_

"_I don't want to talk about it anymore."_

"_Ok, but next time you wish to fart please be kind enough to provide a warning. Preferably 30 seconds in advance."_

"_Annoying" Sasuke muttered. All he wanted to do was to forget the humiliation from the day before. True there was a fart but it did not come from him. _

_Late in the afternoon the day before, Sakura entered their room to do routine checkups like she usually does. Except this time she entered with several medics whom she was training. Apparently the amount of injured people called for the need to train additional new staff. Then the inevitable happened as Sakura was doing his checkup while explaining every detail to the medics. Out of nowhere a huge fart was heard from where Sakura and Sasuke were followed with the fatal smell. Both Sakura and Sasuke froze attempting to hide their soon to be blushes. Before Sasuke could react; Naruto began blaming the fart on him. All he heard was 'Yuck Teme, go to the restroom' and 'Oi, Teme you trying to kill Sakura-Chan over there'. There was no stopping Naruto's loud whining. Everybody else in the room stayed silent in shock not knowing how to react. The medics were too afraid to make one comment due to Sasuke's known dark past. Sasuke then noticed Sakura's face was full of embarrassment for it was she who farted. Sure, Sasuke considered calling her out but given the circumstance that everyone already thought it was him, he chose not to. Perhaps this could count as the start to make up for all he put her through. As Sakura was about to correct Naruto, Sasuke just asked if she was done with the checkup. She understood what he was doing so she just nodded and walked away with extreme haste with the medics behind her. _

"_Hey Teme! You day dreaming again?"_

"_I swear I'm going to kill whoever thought it was a good idea to put us in the same room" Sasuke muttered._

"_Huh? What you say? You need to speak up!"_

"_I said you're a dobe! Loud enough?"_

"_Man, no need to get angry. Wait... Was that you warning me about an incoming fart?"_

"_No!"_

"_Phew... Not sure if I can handle another bomb... Thanks Teme." Naruto then gave Sasuke a big smile as if he had just been saved from death. Moments later Sakura entered the room pushing a wheel chair._

"_Hey Sakura-chan! Nice to see Teme didn't scare you away."_

"_Wha.. Oh.. yea, it was nothing" Sakura replied semi smiling and rubbing the back of her neck trying to hide her discomfort. _

"_Anyways, I'm here because I think it's about time you both get fresh air and away from each other for a bit. So I decided to take you both individually outside for a while."_

_Naruto replied "Thanks!" with a wide smile while Sasuke just replied with the same old "Hn"._

_But in his mind Sasuke was thankful because he desperately needed sometime away from Naruto's antics. He was fond of the guy but didn't mean he never grew tired of him especially when he kept repeating yesterday's ordeal. _

"_It's settled then. Now I know you both could walk but taking into consideration how bad your injuries were; a wheel chair will be used… I'll start with you Sasuke-kun." _

_After Sasuke sat on the wheel chair, Sakura wheeled him out of the room towards a garden outside of the hospital. Throughout the way neither said anything making Sasuke grateful for the silence he was longing in his room. The silence continued after they reached their destination. What intrigued him the most was that the silence didn't feel forced or awkward even after what happened the day before. The genin Sakura would have been blushing nonstop or perhaps even fainted making everything worse. This Sakura remained cool while trying her best to hide her embarrassment. No matter how different they both were, he still cared for them. He had showed many times that he cared about genin Sakura. The same thing couldn't be said for the present Sakura; however his need to apologize the moment he saw her was more than enough indication that he cared. He had recently told Naruto that he may not be able to accept anyone else yet this comment went down the drain the instance he saw her. He attempted to apologize; even insist since she at first tried to shut him up. His whole world then turned upside down when he saw her smile and tears coming down her cheeks full of happiness. That's when he knew he cared about her and that there was hope to one day become true friends._

"_Sakura," all of a sudden Sasuke spoke up. Sakura was gazing at the sky when he tried to get her attention. Based on her expression it seemed she too was enjoying the silence. Most likely being around patients all day takes its toll._

"_Yea?"_

"_Thank you."_

"_Huh... For what?" _

_Sakura looked shocked at Sasuke's thank you. Probably because she wasn't used to this Sasuke._

"_For giving me quiet time."_

_Sakura gave him a warm loving smile showing she appreciated what he just did. She soon thought about the incident from the day before._

"_Anytime.. It's the least I can do after what ha.."_

"_Don't worry about it."_

"_Right! Okay, just let me know when you want to go back."_

"_Hn."_

_They both went back to being silent to appreciate the breeze of the wind and the sound of the birds that were nearby._

* * *

"Sasuke?" Right in that moment Sasuke woke up from the memory.

"What?"

"I said I'm good to go." Sakura seemed annoyed for having to repeat herself.

"Hn."

Sasuke then started heading to the direction of the village in need followed by Sakura. He noticed she was carrying several bags with her. At normal sight people would think of him as a rude bastard for not bothering to ask if she needed help carrying them. However, he knew she can handle it considering the monster strength she possessed. If anything he thought it would have offended Sakura for such request can make her think he thought she was weak.

"How far is the village from here?"

"3 days."

After two long days they finally reached an inn where they can have a decent meal, bed but most importantly a bath. They had been traveling almost nonstop; only stopping for food and sleep.

"I'm going to get us rooms. Wait here." Sasuke said as they entered the inn. He headed to the front counter to get them two rooms. While he was waiting for the lady to get them settled he noticed there was a young man talking to Sakura. Upon analyzing thoroughly he noticed the man was no doubt a shinobi. Sakura seemed to know the man for she appeared comfortable talking to him.

_Is he a friend?_

"Here you go sir," the lady told Sasuke. He immediately returned his attention to the lady to get the keys of their rooms.

"Anything else sir?"

"No." Sasuke then started heading to where Sakura was still talking to the shinobi. The closer he got the more he was able to hear from their conversation.

"So are you here alone?"

Before Sakura could answer, Sasuke decided to answer.

"No."

"Oh hey" Sakura turned to Sasuke a bit nervously. This bothered Sasuke for some odd reason.

_Is she nervous because of this guy?_

"I hope you don't mind me asking but I'm quite curious. Is this the special someone you mentioned when I gave you the love letter?"

_What?! Love letter? _

Even though he wasn't sure what was happening he thought it was best if he answered to avoid misinterpretations.

"No. We're just teammates".

Sakura then added to the statement.

"We're on a mission."

"I see. Then does that mean.."

The shinobi wasn't able to finish his statement when Sasuke decided he wanted to go rest.

"Sakura, I'm going to go rest. Here is your key."

Sasuke gave the key to Sakura and turned around to leave. Without looking back Sasuke went to his room to rest although that wasn't the main reason why he left Sakura behind with the shinobi. It wasn't because he was jealous either. He just didn't want to continue listening to that damn shinobi nor keep seeing how he looked at her. Besides Sakura can handle herself just fine and as her teammate it was best to give her space to socialize with acquaintances. If Sakura and him were more than just friends then he would have stayed to make sure that damn shinobi kept his eyes and hands off her. But they weren't so he didn't want to give her the wrong impression. He did wonder what the whole love letter thing was about though.

_Am I the special person she mentioned?_

* * *

**Author's Note:** Just want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this story so far. It feels great to finally be able to write and have folks the chance to check it out! So this chapter was all about Sasuke's pov. Next chapter is about Sakura's pov. Oh and boy is she not too thrilled with Sasuke! FYI, there is a reason why she isn't using –kun in present time when referring to Sasuke.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**For a long time I've always been interested in writing. Due to school and work I haven't had the chance to really get to it until I finally said no more. I decided to start with a SasuSaku fanfiction to earn experience because I simply love their story. And after reading so many good stories I decided it's only fair to contribute as well. FYI, I'm not too familiar about correct story formatting such as how to format text for a flashback or inner thoughts. All criticism especially in this area will be greatly appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. My respects for Kishimoto for creating an amazing manga full of great characters.

* * *

_Sakura was gazi_ng at the _stars from the bench Sasuke had left her years a_go. _Her face reflected a deep sadness with stains of tears she had_ s_hed. She knew she shouldn't have such feelings. Not when she had finally become jounin the day before. The results of her hard work, dedication and struggles she had to endure along the way. All of her friends had surprised her with a celebration to show her how proud they were of her. It was a night she felt loved; more than she could have possibly asked. The night was fun and joyful even if she noticed someone's absence. He was not there as expected. Sasuke was in a journey of redemption; a journey to find new light in his heart. A need she understood he had to act on. This wasn't the reason why she was sitting on the bench pulling herself together with sorrow in her heart. She accidently heard a conversation between Kakashi and Naruto in the morning. The Hokage was trying to calm an angry Naruto down. Apparently, Sasuke had visited the Hokage the morning Sakura became a jounin. Naruto was demanding to know why he didn't stop by to visit his friends. In the conversation, or if it can even be called that, Naruto asked Kakashi whether it was his fault he left without a word to them. Kakashi's reply was just that he didn't know why his old student did that. Finding out Sasuke was in the village and left as if there was nothing for him broke her into pieces. _

"_Couldn't sleep?" she heard a calm voice behind her. A voice she recognized as Kakashi's. Sakura continued to gaze at the dark sky because she knew if she spoke she wouldn't be able to contain a flood of tears waiting to get out. The White Fang's son moved closer to her realizing she wasn't going to reply. From where he stood it was clear she wasn't in any mood to speak to anybody. _

"_I know you heard Naruto and me this morning. I could just imagine how you must be feeling right now Sakura. I can tell you that he must have had a good reason for leaving out of the blue. Please don't let this get to you too much." Kakashi said in the same gentle voice he has always used when trying to convince her that everything will be okay. After seconds of silence he decided it was best to leave her alone. However before he could Sakura spoke._

"_Sensei, did he know about me becoming jounin?" The way her voice sounded it was obvious she was trying her best not to cry. Her question was answered when she didn't get an answer and witnessed how his eyes turned to the floor as if feeling ashamed to answer. Unfortunately for her this was all she needed to start crying again. She couldn't hold it any longer; her love for Sasuke was just too strong. More than she could bear. _

"_Sakura…"_

"_It's okay sensei. It isn't your fault nor is it Sasuke's. I-I only want his happiness; he deserves it after what he has gone through…. Still, I'm so in love with him sensei! I want to be with him when he hurts, feels happy or is simply annoyed. And I know he'll never see me in the same light I see him. I-I-I know my love for him will always be unrequited. Yet, every day I wake up hoping there is a slight chance I'm wrong. A chance that one day he is going to choose me. So I've been waiting with patience. Bu-but with actions like these that hope just diminishes; I get sad, angry then I feel guilty for being selfish. I just don't know what to do anymore with this feeling that just hurts too much. Please take it away. I don't want to feel this way anymore! I don't want to be in love with him! I don't want to keep asking myself why he can't love me!" Sakura began to cry even harder._

"_Love isn't easy Sakura" Kakashi sighed now knowing how to comfort her. He wasn't prepared for a situation like this._

"_D-does it supposed to hurt this much? Will my heart ever heal?" Sakura replied in between more tears._

_After Sakura's breakdown Kakashi walked her home to ensure her safety. Seeing her so vulnerable wasn't a sight he liked. Hard to believe that a strong shinobi like herself could have an intense moment like that. Though he couldn't blame her; if anything he was glad she was able to let it out. Holding so much confusion and emotions inside doesn't do anybody any good. What he didn't expect was seeing her in his office the following day with a bright smile._

"_Morning sensei" she told him genuinely._

"_Doing better?" he put down the scrolls he was reading to give her his full attention._

"_Yea...sorry about last night" Sakura responded with a look that seemed she wanted to run away. Last night's event was embarrassing for her._

"_So what brings you here?" He was curious as to why this complete change. Mere hours ago she was crying as if she was getting tortured or something close. And now he sees a peaceful girl; nothing compared to the girl from last night._

"_I had all night and this morning to think about Sasuke. I came with a conclusion."_

"_Is that so?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. _

"_Remember my confession to Sasuke during the war?"_

'_The truth is I've always known in my heart there was nothing I could have done for you. But I love you no matter what happened, I still care about you more than I can bear. If I could have taken all your pain onto myself to comfort you, I would have.. And here we are again. All I can do is sit here and cry. I'm so pathetic...! But Sasuke-kun! If I still have a place somewhere in your heart, no matter how small it may be.. then please... I'm begging don't slip any further away! If we just all stayed together forever then I'm sure some day things would go back to the way they used to be.'_

"_Like it was yesterday." How could he forget the ultimate confession of love. _

"_At the time I was asking him to stay with us, team 7, not just with me. I wasn't selfish. After his change these new desires popped up to be with him as more than teammates. Seeing us bond; getting closer triggered something in me to hope for something more. I figured perhaps with this Sasuke it can happen. That part of me is what suffers when he just shows me the opposite. However the girl who confessed to him would be more than happy staying by his side as friends only. This includes supporting him if he ever chooses to have a family elsewhere. As long as he is happy; I'll be happy. As long he is in my life, even as friends, then I'll be content because I just can't imagine my life without him. It's far more painful to stay away from him than the suffering I endure when I remind myself that my love is unrequited."_

"_Why go through so much Sakura?" Kakashi was taken back with what his ex student said. He didn't know what to make of this or how to feel. Should he feel pity, proud or sad? He was glad she was able to get up after falling so deep emotionally last night in such a short amount of time. Can she really do what she's saying?_

"_Because sensei, that's true unconditional love. Loving someone doesn't mean the other needs to love you back. True love means you want that person to be happy with or without you. Love is not meant to be selfish. Besides I trust with time the part of me that suffers will eventually heal; heck it may even let go. Like they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." She gave a small smile when speaking her last sentence to give him assurance. _

"_It won't be easy." Kakashi replied with a serious tone. He needed to make sure she understood what she was getting herself into. Being a part of someone's life without asking anything in return isn't easy. Yes, it's selfless but it requires a huge sacrifice. Very few are capable for most end up hurting themselves more making it worse for everyone involved. If someone is incapable of letting go; it may just be best to avoid the person in question. On the other hand, if someone is set on letting go; it's surely best to avoid the person. Her method definitely wasn't a recommended one; making him fear for the type of fate she is getting herself into. Can a person as emotional like her come strong out of this?_

"_No it won't. But I'm done being pathetic as I was last night; wishing for him to love me back. I have too many good things in my life to just give in to my selfish longings. To tell you the truth I don't even know if I'll be able to really go through with it. What I do know is that I will try. Luckily he isn't around so I'll take this time to prepare myself mentally. My ultimate test will be when we cross paths again."_

* * *

"You're mad" Sasuke said as he approached Sakura who was picking her bags to continue the journey. Without looking at him she replied, "Why would I be mad?". She continued placing the straps of the bags on her shoulder.

_Of course I'm angry! _

"You seem different since we left the inn" he insisted with accusing eyes. He noticed a change of attitude and needed to know why. She looked at his eyes trying to hide the chaos in her head by not letting him intimidate her.

_Why wouldn't I? You finally confirmed my love is one sided. You didn't even flinch when you heard about the love letter._

"I'm not mad" she confirmed with a tone full of authority to get him to back off the subject. Her voice didn't show any signs of angriness; if anything it was neutral.

_I shouldn't be mad is what I mean. You have no obligation to feel the same way. Crap, I'm failing my test miserably. I can do this. All my mental preparation can't just go down the drain; or can it?_

"Did that shinobi do something to you?" he asked while taking lead to their destination. He opted to walk instead of running because he was so devoted to get to the bottom of her mood.

_Yes! Well not intentionally. Thanks to the conversation I was having with him I realized what I knew already. You should be grateful I'm not crying! Yes! I should give myself points for this. At least instead of crying pathetically I'm just angry. _

"No" she replied with the same neutral tone.

"Then why are you mad?" Sasuke's voice changed to a slight more irritated tone. He didn't appreciate Sakura being so reserved with her feelings. Bringing back Chunin exams memory where he noticed she was acting different even though she attempted to hide it.

_Again, because you don't love me. But again you don't have to and I should be okay… Oh man! ! Why aren't I okay? Should I just go to plan B and never see him again… No! I already realized that's worse. ._

"You have everything wrong. I'm not mad."

_Ok fine, you have it right. I am angry but how can I tell you the reason. Sure I was pissed last night with you to the point I cursed your name. In my defense it just wasn't what happened in that inn. It's many things like you haven't contacted us in years, you're so called friends, yet you did with your other teammates. Then you didn't even say 'Hey Sakura, guess what I'm back as I promised'. Ok fine this isn't a good impression of you... Hell, I haven't seen you for a long time that for all I know it is a good impression. There is no way to really know since you kept us out of your life._

"I'm the reason you're mad."

_Bingo! No, wait. It's not fair though. I shouldn't be mad at you for trying to be a better person. Damn it again! Why am I so confused?! Now I'm just being dumb. Man, anybody listening to me would think I'm insane._

"Sasuke, you are aware that in order for there to be a reason I'd have to be mad right?"

_No Sasuke, I'm mad at myself for being selfish again. I'm so failing the test._

"I'm sorry" Sasuke said an innocent yet remorseful way. He didn't want to be the cause of her angriness. If he did anything to displease her then he'd make it right with her.

_Great! Just freaking great! Please keep making me feel guilty and shameful._

"S-sorry for what?" she asked not really understanding this Sasuke. He was making her mind to grow in chaos.

"For what I did to get you mad" he replied with a tender voice. Kakashi had demanded him to be careful with her feelings so he was resolved to obey. If this meant being more apologetic and careful with her feelings then so be it.

_Ugh! Why you have to be so sweet Sasuke all of a sudden, making things harder like that. This screws with my mind ya know?! I swear I want to punch you just for that. _

"For heaven sake; I'm not mad!" she yelled finally giving in to her frustration of him not dropping the subject.

_I really should just punch you._

"Well, you just yelled" he smirked seeing he was proven right.

_That does it; I'm going for the punch now!_

"I guess because now you're getting me angry" she retorted.

"I'm still sorry."

"Why are you insistent on apologizing?"

"Because we're friends and I've caused enough pain to both you and Naruto."

_How I hate the word friends._

Sakura felt relief when Sasuke dropped the topic moments after his lasts statement. She disliked the word friends yet she felt joy in her heart. Maybe this is what he sensed when he dropped the questioning. She felt joy because Sasuke did care about her in some way. He had a spot for her in his heart. Although it wasn't the spot she desired; it was better than none. This reminded her of the night she had broken down years ago, a night when she thought of a life without him. Imagining this life away from him she felt the pain to be even more unbearable then having him around. She preferred to have a sweet friendship with him than to keep him far from her. With his insistence and concern proved she can pass the test. The friendship he can offer is worth keeping him around especially if he continues to behave like he recently did.

_Things will go back to how they were Sasuke with team 7. I'll make sure. Pathetic Sakura crying for your love is no more! Welcome Sakura who will cherish our friendship and ensure your happiness with anyone._

Sakura continued to dwell on her profound recent epiphany for the remainder of the travel. She felt different, stronger and more determined than ever. No more looking in between the lines or having hopes to only get crushed once again. She is done blaming Sasuke for what he can't control. The only thing she had left to do was to be honest with him to show herself she wasn't going to punk out. When the village was within sight she decided to speak to Sasuke about her resolve.

"Sasuke, we need to talk" she stopped abruptly. Sasuke followed suit with a confused expression. He gave a look as to signaling her to spit out whatever she needed to tell him.

"I'm still in love with you. And don't worry this isn't a confession. More like clarification." Sasuke stood there frozen when he heard she was in love with him. His shock was obvious enough for Sakura to immediately notice it. She continued without wasting time because she needed him to hear her out before giving any comments. She stared directly at his eyes to let him know she was being serious.

"When I had just become a jounin I came to a realization that above anything else, including my feelings, I just want you to be happy and that I want to be by your side at least as you're friend. This happened when once again I was shown you won't ever feel the same as I do. Since then I've been preparing mentally to just be close to you without expecting anything in return. In other words to accept what you can give me and what you can't."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sasuke asked after he was able to get passed the shock. He really had no idea what to say or to react. Her words were just so sudden. Sakura understood her words were unexpected so she smiled at him to make the situation less awkward.

"Being honest about my feelings is a huge milestone for my success; not to mention with my current attitude I'm just making things harder and awkward between us. Back there at the inn I was mad for example. I fear if I keep this up I'll drive you away or make things weird for team 7. Besides we're on a very important mission so there is definitely no room for unnecessary drama."

"Sa-saku…"

"No need to tell me anything. Like I said its clarification only so please don't feel guilty on anything. Not your fault I'm not what your heart desires." She widened her smile to comfort him.

"Ok. Well just so you…" before Sasuke could finish his statement he felt a punch hit his face. In front of him he found a smirking Sakura.

"What the hell was that for?!" he asked as he was caressing his cheek. He was definitely confused at the random painful punch.

"Well now that we've just settle we're only friends; it's best I start treating you the same like Naruto and Sai."

"Tch, you're the one that settled that. Still what was it for?!" he hissed at her.

"For keeping your friends out of the loop for so long, making us sad when you missed our special events, and for not even saying hi after not seeing me for so long you jerk. You see Sasuke, here is the thing about friends. You need to be more appreciative to keep them around. Sheesh, you'd think after your fight with Naruto you'd learned to behave more like a friend than a bastard." Sakura looked away annoyed with her arms folded.

"Saku…" again Sasuke was interrupted by another punch.

"Now what was that for?!" he shouted furiously.

"I don't know. It just felt good the first time so repeated the action. Welcome to the friend zone." Sakura smirked then passed by him as if she didn't do anything wrong. She kept walking towards the direction of the village awaiting their help.

"Tch, you got it wrong Sakura. I did try to see you sooner; it's just…Whatever." he muttered as he walked after her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks everybody who has taken the time to read this story especially those who have reviewed. I tried to focus mostly on Sakura's chaotic state of mind with Sasuke in this chapter. The remainder of the story will be on how Sasuke feels about this new upcoming Sakura. Her interaction will surely be foreign for him because he has always seen a love struck Sakura. At first glance he should feel relief she has accepted his friendship only. However things are never that easy when it comes to love! For those who have read my sasusaku one shots; hopefully y'all noticed how I always have Sakura punch Sasuke. This is because regardless how happy I am they are cannon; my evil side always wanted her to just punch him. He deserves it for all the crap he put her through. I know it's evil but after all he is an Uchiha so he can handle it hahaha!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. My respects for Kishimoto for creating an amazing manga full of great characters.

**Chapter POV:** Sasuke Uchiha

* * *

Sakura had just clarified to Sasuke where they stand. He wasn't sure how to react to such a confession; or clarification as she put it. She was in love with him even after all these years he has been away. And though it was evident she longed for him to feel the same; she accepted that he wouldn't and seemed content. Her determination to just be by his side as a friend took Sasuke by surprise. She was actually putting him before herself; something that made his stomach tingle while still feeling nothing but shame. How can such a beautiful young, strong, and respected kunoichi be so selfless for a criminal like himself who deserved only resentment from her. He truly didn't understand her.

"Sakura" Sasuke said when he caught up with her after the clarification. She stopped to turn around to face him. Her expression was full of curiosity to what he has to say of what just happened.

"Kakashi didn't want me to bring you to this mission. He feared I was going to hurt you with intentions or not. And since we're being honest here, I want you to understand..." Sasuke stopped mid sentence to ensure his words come out correctly. He definitely didn't want to hurt her with a wrong idea. The fact he wasn't used to expressing himself didn't help either.

"I will never hurt you intentionally. I'd rather die than cause you pain on purpose." he finally finished with the same tone Sakura hasn't heard from him since the forest of death incident where he demanded to know who beat her.

Sakura's reaction was nothing more than a simple tender smile she always gave him; a smile he secretly missed.

"And I may not have the ability to control when I hurt you unintentionally; so when it happens..." Sasuke continued with a more calmer voice before Sakura disrupted his final thought.

"Thank you Sasuke."

_Tch, she didn't let me finish._

Sasuke then took lead now that the truth was out there. Sakura has fully accepted only his friendship while he claimed he'll never hurt her purposely. For them the honesty was their attempt to ease the tension in their interactions and leave them with a sense of peace. Fortunately Sakura managed to achieve this; Sasuke on the other hand was restless for reasons he could not find. Perhaps it had to do with the concern he kept having pop up on his mind for the remainder of the journey.

_What will happen to me if I ever fall in love with her only to realize she has moved on? Clearly her dedication to accept me as a friend implies she has hopes to stop loving me. This would be great if I never feel the same; but with this woman I don't know any more. Annoying._

* * *

"Sasuke-kun!" the sound of a feminine voice calling out Sasuke's name, or yelling it, was the first sound they heard when they reached the village's gate. The voice was then followed up with the presence of the female who without hesitation embraced Sasuke leaving Sakura dumbfounded. Evidently she wasn't prepared for the scenario she was witnessing. Sasuke's reaction was priceless for her. The poor soul looked annoyed to no end yet he was allowing her to hug him. Sakura took this as him being a gentlemen to the woman he once stabbed and was determined to finish killing her off.

"Oh how I missed you Sasuke-kun" Karin blurted out clinging on to him not showing any signs to back off.

"Nice to see you again Karin," Sakura finally spoke up seeing how Karin was still attached to her teammate and oblivious of her presence.

Karin broke off her embrace from Sasuke to confirm the identity of the voice she heard. Realizing who Sasuke had brought made her insides churn. It's not because she hated Sakura's guts; how could she hate the person who saved her life years ago? No, what made her sick to her stomach was how important she was for her Sasuke-kun. During the last few years since the war she has learned how special team 7 has been for Sasuke. Something she could live with when they become an item, a goal she has vowed to make true, but what she can't live with is the way his whole face changes when mentioning her. It's like he becomes a completely new person. This is exactly what she couldn't stand and ironically it just happens to be with her one time savior.

With a fake smile Sakura was able to detect, Karin replied politely taking Sasuke by surprise.

"Yea. I'm surprised your village sent their best to help. Any medical ninja could have sufficed. I don't mean any disrespect; it's just I'm shocked on how they would endanger their top medic when there is no need." Karin quickly added the last statement seeing the death glare Sasuke gave her. Apparently he is patient with her behavior as long as it wasn't against Sakura. If she wants to play her cards well then she'd have to be nice to his teammate.

"As long as I'm here she won't be in danger" Sasuke remarked.

"Maybe you should ask me to be her bodyguard just in case. I'd be more than happy to comply." a flirtatious voice was then heard heading their way. There was a second man with spikey orange hair and red-orange eyes next to him. He held a calm disposition; completely the opposite to the other who held a devious smirk with those pointy teeth of his.

"Ha! Sakura is too good for you; don't even consider it." Karin responded annoyed at her teammates comment. Even with her dislike of Sasuke's behavior concerning her; Karin didn't wish her to end up with a nightmare like Suigetsu. She was sure Sakura had her good share of suitors back in her village.

"Sakura, the idiot who just spoke is Suigetsu. The one next to him is Jugo." Sasuke pointed his hand at Jugo who smiled in return at her.

"Glad to finally meet Sasuke's old team." Sakura smiled with a reply.

"Same here babe" Suigetsu replied.

'Watch it Suigetsu! My teammate here has low tolerance and will not hesitate to express it with her fists." Sasuke hissed knowing his former teammate had no limitations when it comes to flirting. At least that's what he told himself for his instant reaction. Sakura giggled since it triggered memories of Naruto and his antics. Karin on the other hand didn't enjoy his remark.

"I don't believe you! Such a sweet looking girl can't possibly-".

All of a sudden they heard a big tree coming down to the ground. In front of where the tree stood was Sakura with one finger raised looking at them. They were all, except for Sasuke who was actually proud of her action, with their jaws opened. She gave them a innocent like smile before speaking.

"Do you believe him now? And actually, I don't need my fist. One single finger does the trick. For your own good it will be wise to remember that." Next she walked to where they stood only she moved closer to Sasuke.

"Sasuke lead the way to the hospital please. I want to get started right away patients in a critical state." Sasuke nodded and started leading the way. His former teammates, still stunned, gulped before their bodies finally allowed them to follow. Indeed they'd have to be careful around her if they valued their life.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked Sakura when she stopped suddenly behind him. Turning around to see her he saw an upset expression while she was turning her head to various directions.

_This isn't going to be good._

"Those bastards." she replied confusing Sasuke and the others who had their eyes on her like she was crazy.

"Do you feel the difference in the air?"

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"The breathing inside the village is harder than it is outside" she continued.

"I don't feel any difference" Karin said moving a hand to her hip and raising an eyebrow.

"Neither do I" the rest affirmed in unity.

"That's because those bastards did a great job covering up the smell of the poison. If not even a strong shinobi like Sasuke can notice the difference then they did their work right."

"Hey don't bad mouth Sasuke-kun-".

"How come you can tell?" Sasuke spoke over Karin not caring for her defense of him.

"I am the best medic Konoha has aren't I? Part of the title includes having the ability to detect peculiar poisons like this one." With this statement Sasuke had to wonder the type of training she had to endure to achieve the skills she possessed. Surely it must have been hell for her. If it wasn't for the urgency of the matter; Sasuke would continue to admire her skills.

"Is it a fatal poison?"

"Yes and No. The poison itself won't kill. The purpose of why the poison was used can."

"They're coming back to finish the job."

"Hence my choice of words; bastards!"

"Can someone please explain to us what in the world is going on?" Suigetsu asked as he was not understanding what the two Konoha nins were talking about. Karin and Jugo were as lost though they didn't dare voice it seeing how Sasuke and Sakura was too focused in their conversation.

"Let me explain." Sakura replied.

"This poison wasn't created to kill. If I'm correct, it's a poison designed to weaken the enemy beforehand. If you are injured; then you won't be able to heal at the normal rate. The rate of your healing will depend on how long you've been exposed to the poison. The level of this type of poison also intervenes on what methods to heal. For example, cases where healing should be a piece of cake will be treated as cases needing extreme healing methods."

"What if you're not injured?" Karin asked.

"If you're not injured than you'll just experience symptoms like the flu. And it affects your chakra pathway system making it harder to manipulate. This doesn't become apparent until you're in a fight attempting to perform any jutsu." Sakura continued explaining.

"We don't feel sick though."

"Ninja's are more resistant to the symptoms than civilians due to our disciplines. It's just a matter of time. The symptoms will also vary by ninja as well. Regardless of whether you are experiencing symptoms or not; your chakra pathway system is being affected."

"So if it doesn't kill why use it?" Suigetsu asked not having grasped the situation entirely.

"What Sakura is trying to explain is the rogue ninjas left this poison to keep the village vulnerable for a second attack. It seems they had too much fun in the first round that they decided for seconds; if only they knew returning will be their death sentence." Sasuke said this time with a killing look. The look Sakura didn't enjoy but understood considering the circumstance.

"Sakura do we need to find the source of this poison?" Sasuke asked interrupting Sakura's obvious thoughts sensing her dislike of his last statement.

"Nope. The source of this poison is implanted on plants so by now those plants have died. I could tell by how hard the breathing is. When the source is alive then the breathing is more challenging. What I need to do right away is create an antidote because healing the injured will be easier. This is assuming no one isn't in a life and death state because I'd need to stabilize them first."

Sasuke nodded supporting her plan. When he looked at her he remembered she was carrying several bags. Not once had she placed them on the ground to rest her shoulders even when she knocked the tree down with a finger. If Sakura is correct about the poison; she too is getting weaker. This means he has more than a valid reason to help carry the bags. Instead of asking for her only to resist; he went up to her and grabbed the bags.

"Don't speak; just follow me to the hospital." Sasuke told her preventing a response from her. He commenced walking to their destination once more ignoring the looks his former teammates were giving him. They had never experienced him being thoughtful; this action made Karin lose her mind internally while Sakura walked happily.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks so much to everyone who is keeping up with this story. Hopefully it will be of your liking when it's completed. For those who have reviewed; I appreciate the effort to leave a comment. Makes my day all the time :).

Here is a quick reply to some of the comments left behind:

_**skylaa55**_ \- Your review is super sweet and I don't plan of rushing things. If I do feel free to let me know by any means necessary hahaha!

_**iris112**_ \- Yes there is a reason for Sakura to move on! The idea is inspired from how the Harry/Ginney (Harry Potter) and Ted/Robin (How I Met Your Mother) pairings came to be. In this chapter it seems Sakura is okay with just being friends but this will get further explored.

Yay, you caught the interruption! You'll definitely find out what he meant to say. Lastly, he has kept in contact with team Taka throughout the years. There is a reason though; planning to cover that next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. My respects for Kishimoto for creating an amazing manga full of great characters.

**Chapter POV:** Sasuke Uchiha

* * *

_A year has passed since Sasuke left the leaf village to free himself of his sins, or at least try, by making amends with villages seeking help as a start. In his latest destination he came across a village being attacked by a group of ninjas. Sasuke did not know exactly the reason for the attack neither did he care. The only thing in his mind was to save the civilians who were becoming merciless victims. Upon inspecting the sight he was disgusted noticing these ninjas grin as they killed not caring if their victim was an innocent child. This is why Sasuke chose to kill them without the same mercy they were displaying. An eye for an eye he thought to himself. After some time he was finally able to kill most of the ninjas with the exception of the leader. The leader who just watched as his teammates slaughtered victims including when they finally met their end by Sasuke's hand. Throughout the whole scene he just stood on top of the tallest building smirking on what was being unfolded before him. This surprised Sasuke because he expected him to run away while he was distracted with the rest. Instead he just stayed there patiently for Sasuke as if waiting for his turn. This meant to Sasuke that he was a force not to be underestimated for no one would hold a grin with such malicious eyes starving for blood with confidence if they didn't have it with themselves to hold a fight against one of the Uchiha. Unfortunately for the guy this is the kind of fight Sasuke has been eager for to blow off some steam. Inner steam that has slowly been accumulating in the last few weeks where he has found himself missing his friends after some tough emotional situations. And he was now thrilled to get the chance to do some major damage without remorse. As expected, the ninja was skilled and powerful which pleased Sasuke. However, he was not a match to the ex avenger who with painful sacrifices has surpassed all except his best friend. Several minutes into the fight Sasuke got the upper hand and relentlessly punched and kicked his enemy with great force and speed. He didn't stop until he accidently sent the ninja flying to the ground with a bleeding face beyond facial recognition. Sasuke wasn't pleased with his accidental action for he desired to continue using him as a punching bag. Determined to annihilate the ninja; he commenced walking to where the ninja landed. Before he could reach him he stopped when the ninja started laughing diabolically as he was positioning his body to get up only to fall on his knees._

_"You-you think you w-w-won today Uchiha. The trut-" the ninja said while coughing out blood. Behind that bloody face Sasuke saw the same grin as before; it felt like the bastard was enjoying the moment. This unnerved Sasuke greatly. _

_"Hn. Look at yourself all pathetic. Yet you're still holding joy in your face. Well let me get rid of that!" Sasuke launched himself towards the dying ninja with his katana on hand to finish him. To his surprise the enemy caught the katana between his two palms before impact. Within seconds the ninja disappeared only for Sasuke to hear his voice from the top of a tree that was nearby. Sasuke turned around not understanding what was going on. One minute the ninja was on the verge of death; another minute he was capable of defending himself in a blink of a second._

_"The truth is you haven't won Sasuke Uchiha because we have you exactly where we wanted. We were testing you and let me say you failed miserably like expected." the man said wiping blood off his face for Sasuke to see his injuries gone. Sasuke just stood there waiting for an explanation._

_"Explain yourself!" Sasuke demanded._

_"You see we are on a mission to destroy you. Except the intent is not to kill rather to make you suffer. We are aware that we are no match to your power. Lucky for us we have found a different approach to break you. When I felt your chakra close to this village I knew this was the perfect opportunity to start this mission showing the world what kind of man you really are. Or better yet, remind you who you really are. A monster with cursed blood who will never find redemption no matter how many villages you save. Once evil, always evil."_

_"You know nothing of me." Sasuke scowled._

_"I know enough. Like who your friends are - blondy and pinky. Two idiots who forgave you knowing the darkness within you that will never leave. Perhaps they are scum themselves."_

_"Talk about them like that again and-"_

_"What? You're going to punch me in the face like that pink haired friend of yours did when I trashed your name? Haven't you beaten me enough merciless?"_

_Having enough with the ninja's nonsense; Sasuke went to attack him only for it to be evaded again. _

_"Hm, I'm too fast for you." the ninja blurted with a smirked._

_"No. You're not here. This is just an illusion."_

_"About time you realized. I thought with your powerful eyes you would have caught it right away. Must be your conscious blurring your vision."_

_"You're close to dying. Why bother cast it knowing it's futile against me?"_

_"For the same reason we decided to attack this village to get your attention. Because we want you to see there is no happy endings for you - just hell. You're on this journey of redemption but at first sight of destruction you murder with vengeance. The way you killed the rest of my teammates was not instant; it was brutal. How you kept attacking me knowing none of those blows were fatal until I reached my limits slowly and painfully was coming from your dark side. You could have easily killed me fast but you refused giving a quick death. Don't you see? You haven't changed avenger. You never will and it's a matter of time before you hurt your friends again. They may have accepted you back after the war however I'm sure even as we speak they are already forgetting you. Slowly getting rid of those tainted memories with you. And you may think you have a family but they'll turn your back on you either with time or when they realize you never stopped being an avenger. Today I die happily knowing this is the beginning of your inevitable endless misery for we will continue this mission. And once we are done breaking you...Well, let's just keep that a surprise shall we?" the genjutsu was then dispelled with his last words. _

_Sasuke turned to where his body was originally. He saw his lifeless body laying there with a smirk on his bloody face. Gazing at his body he could not comprehend what just happened. It seems the only reason they murdered innocent people was to mess with him. And apparently others will finish the mission of messing with his head making him wonder what they can possibly gain from that. _

_"Bastard. " Sasuke muttered with an angry expression. He knew he was going to come across people who wouldn't approve of his attempt to find himself and become a worthier person. He has come across many who have insulted him; heck even throw objects at him. But none have struck a nerve as this specific ninja. Sasuke thinks it was because there was some truth in his words. He had a choice to end their lives instantly only to refuse for what he saw them doing to the village. He was wrong in other things though. He would never hurt his friends again. And his friends would never forget him. How could they after refusing when they had every right in the past. It's true his friends may move on with their lives. What's not true is they'll leave him alone because they have proved there unconditional bond with him. This is what Sasuke kept telling himself to relief some of the tormenting thoughts he was starting to form until someone got his attention._

_"M-mister?" a mid-age man called to him. Sasuke turned to the man's direction to give him his full attention._

_"How bad is the village?" Sasuke asked hiding his disturbed thoughts and guilt._

_"T-they are-" the man said trying to speak words regardless of the fear he had._

_"It's okay. I won't hurt anyone. Sorry for the damages I caused; I was only trying to protect the village."_

_With Sasuke's words the man managed to calm his nerves down to speak coherently. The man took a deep breath to help with the fear._

_"What I meant to say is the village is okay. We have several fatalities and injured people yet the causalities weren't as bad as they could have been if it wasn't for your help."_

_"Do you know why they attacked your village?"_

_"Yes. They were looking for a sacred artifact we had in our possession."_

_Sasuke was relief to know the village wasn't aware it was his fault they were attacked. This still didn't diminish his guilt. It just made it easier to get the village's trust to help out. _

_"Did you get it back?" Sasuke asked._

_"It was shattered when you killed the one who had it. It's okay though because the lives of our people is more valuable then what the artifact was worth. And for that we thank you." The man bowed as a form of respect to their savior. _

_"No need to thank me. Will you be okay?"_

_"I believe we will. Due to the alliance after the war; I'm predicting we'll be getting help soon enough as we have send someone to go seek it."_

_Sasuke stayed in the village aiding until the help arrived before heading to his new destination. He owed this much to the village when it was his fault. When he confirmed the safety of the village with the arrival of the Hidden Sand village shinobi's he left to his next stop. To the place he hoped to one day call home indefinitely. The village where he could find the peace and comfort in the form of team 7 he desperately needed._

* * *

_Sasuke was watching a team 7 deja-vu moment from a far distance in their old training grounds. Upon reaching the village he decided to follow up with his friends prior to meeting with the Hokage. In the process he chose to hide his chakra to hide his presence. He was able to find his teammates training and chose to watch them for a while before making his return known. There was Sakura, Naruto and Sai training. When they concluded their training; Naruto, for some stupid reason as always, thought it was a good idea to show Sakura his evolved sexy technique. Sakura's response naturally was to pummel him for it._

_"Idiot you never learn" Sasuke smirked._

_"OUCH! Sakura-chan I was only trying to show how far I've gone with my sexy-"_

_"Blah, blah! How about I show you how far I've gone with my fist?" Sakura interrupted displaying her fist full of chakra. Seeing Sakura showing off her monster strength amused him especially seeing Naruto tremble. _

_"You're no fun Sakura-chan. Huh, Sai?" Naruto replied hoping to get Sai's support while he was massaging the place Sakura had hit him._

_"Sorry, have to agree with Ugly here." Sai said chilling near a tree looking at the sky and feeling the breeze of the wind._

_"You're only saying that because you're with Ino!" Naruto scolded._

_"Someone said my name?!"_

_Ino suddenly appeared with the rest of Konoha 11 behind. Ino went straight to Sai to embrace him making Sai blush a bit. Hinata almost fainted at the sight of Naruto but thanks to Sakura signaling to go her way she didn't. She was grateful Sakura noticed her state and offered assistance. Seeing everyone on the training grounds made Sasuke doubt whether he should go forth with his plan of reuniting with his friends. Especially when the scene in front is of Naruto and Sakura hanging out happily with the rest of their friends. Friends who never betrayed them. They were there laughing with Naruto occasionally getting hit either by Ino or Sakura without his presence. Maybe the ninja was right and he was wrong - his friends were slowly forgetting about him. Sasuke snapped out of his moment of melancholy when he heard Naruto say something of interest._

_"What's on your mind Naruto? You got quiet all of a sudden. A rare thing coming from you?" Shikamaru asked leaning against a tree. _

_"Just thinking how our gang would be perfect if it wasn't because he's missing." Naruto said with a sad face. His expression caused everyone else to sadden feeling his sadness. With Naruto's words Sasuke found comfort for he does have a family who haven't forgotten him. This was the encouragement he needed to reunite with them after all._

_"But you know what; where ever he is I'm sure Neji is watching us right now and is happy. believe it!" Naruto pointed out with a grin that made everyone cheerful except for Sasuke. _

_"Tch, you idiot. They weren't talking about you." Sasuke told himself in a broken tone because that's how he felt when he heard Naruto mention someone else's name. It pained him to hear Naruto say how their group would be perfect with Neji's presence implying he didn't matter. They didn't need him anymore. _

_"When are we leaving to go eat?! I'm hungry!" Choji complained._

_"Oh please. You're always hungry." Ino replied annoyed with arms around Sai. _

_"So?!" Choji yelled offended._

_"We can go to Ichiraku" Naruto recommended with a wider grin in his face. Apparently something only the mention of his favorite restaurant can do to Hinata's displeasure._

_"Eww no! I'm tired of that. How about we go to the new restaurant?" Sakura said._

_"B-but they have no ramen in their menu Sakura-chan!"_

_"Exactly!" Sakura smirked at Naruto making him pout. _

_"What a drag. Let's just go to Ichiraku. We know we won't hear the end of Naruto if we don't go."_

_"You're awesome Shikamaru! That's why you'll be my right hand when I become Hokage." This stung Sasuke more. He didn't know why, it just did._

_"Yea, yea, yea. Let's go already. Choji here is about to explode of hungriness. It won't be pretty I tell ya."_

_Akamaru then barked to agree with Shikamaru who had already started walking. Naruto and Choji followed with happiness in their faces while the rest followed with a mix of happy and bothered expression. They weren't fond of ramen but a sacrifice they were willing to do for Naruto. It wasn't long until the only one there was Sasuke. All alone as he watched his friends leave without showing signs of remembering his existence. Not even Sakura. _

_"Why didn't you go with them?" a voice behind said. Sasuke didn't need to turn around to see it was Kakashi's voice._

_"They seem fine without me." Sasuke said with grimace before turning to face his old sensei. _

_"Sasuke they haven't forgotten you. If anything they miss you. Don't misinterpret Naruto's comment." Kakashi said sensing some bitterness with Sasuke's reply._

_"I won't. I'm leaving right away so there isn't a point to get them hyped up with my presence." Sasuke quickly changed his tone to hide the emotions in him._

_"I see. Why are you here? Was pretty shocking seeing you on my way to meet them."_

_"A village nearby was attacked by a band of ninjas. I managed to kill all of them. Wanted to report it to you to consider sending help. The Hidden Sand village sent several shinobo however I think they can benefit of additional aid and supplies Konoha can offer."_

_"Do you know why they were attacked?"_

"_The leader said it was because of me. Although the village believe they were attacked for an artifact in their possession."_

_"And?" Kakashi asked knowing Sasuke was hiding information. Sasuke was hesitant to reply though. It wasn't because he didn't trust his old sensei. He felt shame getting him involved once more with his dark past._

_"Sasuke?" Kakashi could tell by Sasuke's body language what he was hiding was personal most likely had to do with the path he once walked. The way his old student stood there looking anywhere but his eyes said it all._

_"He hinted of a vendetta against me with others. Sole purpose apparently is to break me for my past actions." Sasuke finally looked at Kakashi to reply. He wasn't happy to share this with Kakashi. Still he did it because Kakashi had put himself in the line to get pardoned. His old sensei had the right to know especially seeing how those ninjas were willing to hurt others to get to him._

_"You're going after them correct?" _

_"Hn." Sasuke nodded._

_"Don't you think it would be a perfect mission for Team 7?"_

_"No." Sasuke replied._

_"Sasuke, I know you're strong but don't forget the value of a team especially their support to you."_

_"I know. This is why I'll be taking my old team. Our female teammate, Karin, is an excellent tracker and serves the role of a medic. As for the support, they have been there for me as well."_

_"Is that really what you want?" Kakashi asked not convinced with Sasuke 's reason to not take team 7._

_" Look I don't want to involve Naruto and Sakura unless I have to."_

_"Sasuke, you haven't answered. Is this really what you want?"_

_"Yes." Sasuke said using all his might to sound convincing. He wanted to take Naruto and Sakura. More importantly, he needed their support. He wasn't going to be selfish though. They were happy and he didn't want to trouble them with something he most likely did to himself._

_"Very well. Message me when you've dealt with this."_

_"They went to Ichiraku in case you missed that." Sasuke grunted. He expected to see his old sensei walk out on him to meet the others leaving him alone once more. Except Kakashi didn't to his satisfactory. _

_"Sasuke there is a reason why I had extra care in your training. Not sure exactly what it was...I think it has to do with the fact we both have seen precious people die before our eyes. We've lived through similar pains. Including the one where we became unintentionally responsible for the death of one of our loved ones."_

_"..." Sasuke's face soften listening to Kakashi. He wasn't someone who enjoyed lectures especially from his old sensei. But at the moment he needed the comfort Kakashi was offering him with the lecture._

_"I'm telling you this because I want you to understand if it were my choice, I'd have you here. Not because the village could use you. Because team 7 is my family too. What we've endured together marked us all. Although I'm happy you're trying to find yourself in your travels; our family won't be complete until you come home." Kakashi finished with a tender smile._

_"Is...Is it really possible to come back from my sins?"_

* * *

Current Time

"She triggered a memory didn't she?" Jugo asked a tired Sasuke who was laying on the ground gazing at the moon. After an earlier confrontation with Sakura he went to train to ease the tension in him.

"How is she?" Sasuke asked not moving.

"She stabilized all of the patiends and managed to come up with an antidote for the poison. She is good I tell you. And dedicated because she passed out the moment she finished the antidote. It's like she held strong..." Sasuke hearing she passed out leaped from the ground but Jugo stopped him.

"She's okay Sasuke. Karin let Sakura bite her and now she is resting." Jugo felt Sasuke calm down so opted to sit down because he too was tired with helping Sakura with patients.

"She asked me where you were you know. I think she felt bad for what she told you earlier."

"What did you tell her?" Sasuke asked sitting down too.

"Told her that she should rest. And that it was best to give you space. Besides there is always tomorrow to talk. She finally complied." Jugo replied.

"Hn." Sasuke nodded. This was his way of saying thank you to Jugo.

"What memory did she trigger?" Jugo asked the one he considered a brother. When they first became teammates he only saw Sasuke as his cage to stop him from murdering. His loyalty to the Uchiha increased as time passed. Their relationship then strengthened significantly about a year after the war when a tormented Sasuke requested his help. This is why he dared asked such a question to the man many feared.

"The first encounter with them." Sasuke replied with troubled eyes.

"I understand why you won't tell your Konoha friends about your experience with _them_. But even after we've taken care of _them_ they are getting under your skin. Your Konoha friends can help you better than I can Sasuke."

"It's best keeping them out of this."

"Fine. I'll be here at least." Jugo sighed.

"Are you in love with your pink haired friend?" Jugo gave this question a long thought before asking. He knows Sasuke wasn't familiar with a lot of things especially when it came to love. Seeing how trouble his friend was thanks to certain unpleasant confrontations; he was hoping he had at least found the comfort of love.

"She's just a friend." Sasuke quickly replied

"That could mean many things. I'll take it as a no for now."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Again thanks so much to everyone who is keeping up with this story. I know where I'm headed with the story and super excited to write it. I just hope you're as excited as I am. As you may see with this chapter I am diving deeper with Sasuke's character in this story. I feel his journey wasn't easy and probably made it harder for him to accept the second chance he was offered when he came across people who just hated his guts. So this is my way of showing this among other things like SasuSaku's love development in my story. Next chapter we'll see Sakura and find out exactly what happened in the implied confrontation between Sasuke and Sakura.

For those who have reviewed; thanks a bunch for your comments. As I mentioned before, makes my day :). They are a bonus!

Here is a quick reply to some of the comments left behind:

**PrettyChelsea** \- Yes unrequited love truly sucks. This is what I tried to convey in Chapter 3. And so happy you found her inner thoughts dilemma funny. That's what I was aiming for :)!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. My respects for Kishimoto for creating an amazing manga full of great characters.

**Chapter POV:** Sasuke Uchiha

* * *

_"SASUKE-KUN!" a loud cried was heard in the midst of a battle between Sasuke, Jugo and Suigetsu versus a pack of ninjas. When they heard Karin's scream Sasuke quickly signaled the other two that he was going to go after her while they finished dealing with the enemy. He ran to the direction of the scream where he found her stuff lying on the floor. However he was able to sense her chakra so he headed in that direction. He was also attempting to sense an unidentified chakra signature knowing someone had taken Karin but was unsuccessful. As he continued to run he was able to sense Jugo and Suigetsu chakra not too far behind to his relief. Moments later he felt Karin's chakra closer until he finally reached her. Sasuke imagined having to fight with her captive as soon as he caught up with them. He was prepared to save her and kill her captive if necessary. But he wasn't prepared for what he found when he caught up to them, or Karin in this situation because there was no sign of another ninja. To be honest nobody would be prepared for such a disturbing sight. Sasuke seeing what was in front froze immediately making his insides nervous._

_"WHAT THE HELL?!" Suigetsu blurted upon reaching the scenario._

_"Sasuke?" Jugo called seeing how Sasuke was there staring with a frown with no intention to move. What he was staring took him back to those horrible times where he was out of his mind. Finally being able to pull himself together he walked to the scenario slowly not being able to take his eyes off any of it. He knew this was just a game from those who are out to break him. So he should be strong enough to ignore their game. But they were making it hard for him to ignore. What everybody was looking at could better be described as a walk to Sasuke's past. Karin lied on a bench in the same position Sasuke had left Sakura years ago unconscious. To mess with him even more, whoever responsible pour a good amount of pink paint on to Karin's hair. On the left side of the bench there were two dummies. One dummy represented Naruto and the other represented Sasuke himself. Sasuke's dummy was piercing a metal object into Naruto. On the right side of the bench there were two dummies as well except this time it was a Sakura and Sasuke. The Sasuke dummy was holding Sakura's neck. In both scenarios Sasuke's dummy was expressing a menacingly laugh and his victims, Naruto and Sakura, were expressing nothing but betrayal and sadness. _

_Sasuke has endured plenty of pain in the last several years. The death of his family, the lies of the village, killing his brother, betraying his friends and all of the physical combat wounds. He has been able to endure each pain through time and eventually with the support of his loved ones. But the pain his body began to feel now was just too much. Reliving his actions against Naruto and Sakura hurt him. Seeing the expressions on their face hurt even more. What caused him the most pain was looking at his face expressing joy of hurting them. _

_He picked up Karin from the bench when he reached her. When her body was off the bench he noticed a message with red paint. The message read 'This is who you really are'. This made Sasuke angry. _

_Sasuke walked back to where the remaining of his teammates stayed without saying a word. _

_"Wow Sasuke. Had no idea you had a fan base exclusively for your dark side. They are very creative even if this is creepy." Suigetsu said not thinking how his words could affect Sasuke._

_"Shut up." Sasuke hissed._

_Sasuke, carrying Karin, believed it was adequate to burn what was in front with Amaterasu. He wanted to get rid of the distasteful message as soon as possible. However when he was about to use it Jugo stopped him._

_"No. You know you can burn down the whole forest if you're not careful. With your current state I'd say it's very much possible." Jugo firmly said._

_"Let go." Sasuke scolded._

_"This is exactly what they want Sasuke. Don't let those bastards win. Me and Suigetsu will take care of this. Besides look at Karin dripping all that pink paint. I doubt she'll be happy to find out she has pink hair when she wakes up. There is a river nearby you can take her to wash up."_

_"Hey! This was for Sasuke. Why should I clean it up?!" Jugo gave a glare to Suigetsu as an indication to shut up. It was clear he wasn't realizing how bad Sasuke was taking all of this or how his words was making the situation worse._

_"Fine." Sasuke surrendered knowing he really wasn't control of his emotions._

_Sasuke carried Karin to the river his teammate mentioned. Throughout the way he was hurting inside. At the same time he was mentally imagining how he was going to handle those responsible for such atrocity. First they take innocent lives to hurt him and now they wish to remind him of his past. They really shouldn't play with fire Sasuke thought. Although he was hurting he was angry as well. Angry because they were beginning to affect him in ways he didn't enjoy one bit. _

_He carefully put Karin on the ground close to the river where her hair could touch the water. With his hand he began washing the pink paint of her hair. In minutes he was able to remove most of the pink paint leaving small fractions. He could have just left it at that but he couldn't stand seeing pink on Karin's hair. This reminded him of Sakura way too much. Sasuke admits he has missed her in many occasions before. But today thinking about Sakura was unbearable since his only thoughts of her is of the time he tried to end her life. The pink paint reminded him of her face when he held her neck with his fingers and enjoyed squeezing it tight. No, he didn't want to think about Sakura right now. In a moment of desperation to remove the pending paint he started to scrub Karin's hair so hard he woke her up without noticing._

_"Sas-sasuke-kun...What are you doing...Sasuke-kun...owww you're pulling my hair...SASUKE-KUN STOP!"_

_Finally Sasuke snapped out of the trance he was in hearing Karin yell with agony. Karin got up and stared at him with fear in her eyes as she was caressing her scalp. Her stare reminded him of Sakura's fear when he held her neck. He felt remorse and scared thinking perhaps this is who he really was. That Naruto and Kakashi were wrong in thinking he could change. _

_"Sasuke-kun your hand is bleeding!" Karin then cried out pointing at his hand with a finger. Sasuke looked at his hand and indeed he was bleeding._

* * *

Sasuke stood outside of the village gate waiting for a message from Kakashi. He had reported to Kakashi their findings on the expected second attack on the village. At first he contemplated not bringing Kakashi up to speed. But he figured there was a high probability he would send Naruto if he felt Sasuke needed backup. This alone motivated Sasuke to report to Kakashi. While Sasuke may not admit his closeness to Naruto to the world; it didn't mean he wasn't important to him. In fact he often felt better when he was around Naruto when he wasn't trying to kill him. So he sure can use Naruto's presence now that some unwanted memories are resurfacing. Of course he'd never admit the dobe's positive impact on him.

During his waiting his mind began to take him to past events he wanted to forget. When he closed his eyes all he could see were three photographs given with the intention to hurt him. Each was an individual picture of team 7 smiling in various ways. On the back of each picture the same message reappeared written in red, 'See? They are happier without you'. Luckily for Sasuke he didn't need to think further on that because he heard a hawk approaching him with a scroll tied around a leg.

_Perfect timing._

Sasuke grabbed the scroll from the hawk and read it. He was happy with the content of the message.

"Is that a message from Kakashi-sensei?" a voice asked who Sasuke recognized as Sakura's. He turned to the direction of the voice to reply.

"He is sending the dobe as backup."

"Ah. Well that's if he manages to find the village" Sakura said giggling. She loved her best friend to death but that didn't mean she was blinded to his less favorable traits.

"Hn" Sasuke replied putting the scroll in his pocket. His next intention was to leave but upon observing Sakura he changed his mind.

"Going somewhere?" Sasuke asked pointing to the bags Sakura was carrying.

"Yes actually. I got so annoyed of this village, especially your teammate Karin, that I have decided to abandon this mission to go to a more sane place." Sakura said playfully.

Sasuke's response was pure silence. He wasn't sure if she was kidding or being honest. From what he has heard from Jugo, she has been working hard with patients. There has been instances she's had trouble with stubborn ones. And knowing Karin he would believe if she just had enough.

"Kidding!... Sorry, it sounded funnier in my head. I'm actually on my way to find some medical herbs. I've been able to treat using the supplies they had in stock. With these herbs though I'll be able to heal certain patients faster."

"Why isn't Jugo with you?" Sasuke asked seeing she was alone.

"Because poor guy needs to rest. Besides I am more than capable of defending myself. Not to brag but I am jounin" Sakura replied with a confident look.

"Sakura..."

By now Sakura was quick to decipher Sasuke when he got into his over-protective mode. This was exactly where he was heading. Since she didn't want to hear it nor fight with Sasuke she felt it was best to stop it before it got worse.

"Don't. This is what caused the argument we had days ago. Before we go too far let's just drop it. Don't want things to get more awkward as they are now." Sakura said irritated.

"Awkward?" Sasuke asked not understanding the meaning of her words.

"Yup. You've been acting strange since the argument. Or more accurately, you've been avoiding me."

"I haven't been avoiding you."

"Yes you have. Look I'm not stupid. I haven't seen you for days. And the times I've sensed you nearby; you are magically gone when I get closer. Don't worry, I'm sure whatever is bothering you has nothing to do with the argument. If anything, you probably won't share with me what's on your mind thinking I'm mad at you. "

"Nothing is bothering me." Sasuke assured Sakura. Unfortunately for him Sakura wasn't buying it.

"You forget I know when you're hurting. News flash! I was a crazy fangirl once who was so committed I learned to read your different states. Look I'm not mad at you okay. And I know it must be hard to tell me anything considering my most recent confession slash clarification...Here is the thing, I am doing well with that. So please if you need a friend don't hesitate to confide in me. I know I'm not Naruto but I'm still a friend who cares and worries about you." Sakura replied with an initial irritated voice but ending with the same tender voice Sasuke was accustomed to. Hearing her voice made Sasuke reconsider bringing her in on his worries. He knew she was sincere with what she was saying. After the argument he did think she was mad at him however that wasn't the reason why he avoided her. Unintentionally she triggered memories that were tormenting him. Memories he didn't want her to get affected because at the end of day he brought it to himself. And it wasn't fair to involve his friends more than they have already. They've endured enough for him.

"Sakura I can assure you I'm okay."

"Yet I don't believe it..." Sakura sighed clearly seeing through his deceive. Determined not to give up she dropped her bags to freely move closer to Sasuke. She gave him a sweet smile with no evidence of a blush. Sasuke's heart started to beat a little faster because the way she was moving towards him was different. It was with great confidence and some sort of determination for something. He was nervous of what Sakura was going to do. Of course he could have easily walked out on her but he stood there curious to what happens next. Sasuke was relief when she stopped next to him and knelt to smell a flower. She definitely didn't do what he thought.

"I don't know if Naruto has mentioned that he left the village to train when you did. When I confessed to you I told you I'd be alone if you left. Well I did but having Naruto and Kakashi there helped because believe it or not they became my family too. When Naruto left to train and Kakashi started to get more missions I felt devastated. I can say that was when I felt the loneliest because the three of you left me. I trained and became closer to the rest of the rookies especially Ino. None was able to fill the emptiness from the absence of team 7 though. Often times I'd get jealous of the other genin teams seeing how our team broke. Throughout all of this time I was able to endure the loneliness with my training shishou provided. One day though I snapped. I let my loneliness get the best of me to the point I caused major damage to a section of the forest. After I was done I cried nonstop for hours until someone came along... Take a wild guess who it was." Sakura ripped one of the flowers she was sniffing and stood up with a wider smile.

"No idea" Sasuke replied still not being able to move away from Sakura who was now in a closer proximity to him.

"You're no fun...It was Rock Lee. Seeing me in the terrible state I was he somehow knew I needed comfort. That is exactly what he did. Now Sasuke, normally he comes to me with flirty phrases but that moment he didn't. What he told me came from a genuine friend who wanted to comfort me and nothing more. He hugged me with a warmth that calmed my nerves. And then he whispered to my ear, 'You're not alone. You will always have a protector and a friend in all of us. And if you ever forget then just remember the forest of death incident '. He then gave me a smile before leaving. What he said was true, during the forest of death fight with the sound shinobi's I witnessed how everybody tried to help us out. So indeed I wasn't alone."

Hearing how Sakura hurt made him hate himself again. Although this time he disliked Kakashi and Naruto too. He wasn't aware she was on her own for those years he was away. He had heard from Orochimaru that Naruto was training. He didn't know his training included leaving the village. Kakashi's absence was new to him as well.

"Sakura I'm sorry" was the only thing Sasuke could say. His heart then started to beat faster when he was caught off guard. He felt someone take his hand to give him what he saw was a flower followed by the sensation of a lip on his cheek.

_Did Sakura kiss me?_

Sasuke has been caught off guard many times. He has stayed frozen probably the same amount of times. Still no single girl has made him tremble or feel weak like Sakura just did with her touch on both his hand and cheek. But Sakura wasn't done with him yet. He gulped when Sakura spoke gently told him in his ear an endearing message.

"Sasuke you're not alone either. You will always have a loving friend in me. Whatever is bothering you; don't feel you have to go through it on your own."

Sakura released his hand and gave him one final gentle smile. She went to pick up the bags she had dropped and started walking to a new direction. Sasuke was left behind unable to move with the exception of his hand that was on the cheek she kissed. Inside he was going crazy because he had no idea he could feel so warm and loved with one touch from someone else. The kiss made him nervous in a good kind of way. Her touch made him feel butterflies in his stomach; something he found annoying and comforting.

_What the hell did she just do to me?_

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks all who's following this story and for comments received :)! Next chapter is on Sakura's POV and how's she dealing with the friend zone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. My respects for Kishimoto for creating an amazing manga full of great characters.

**Author's Note:** The text in bold below is just the same dialogue from the previous chapter. This is also why I don't go into much details since it was shown last chapter.

* * *

Days Ago

"That's enough Sakura. You need to rest."

Sasuke grabbed Sakura's wrist with the intention of making her stop. She had been healing patients all day and outdid herself to the point she almost fainted. Fortunately for her Sasuke was in the room to prevent her fall. She asked him for a soldier pill which she got. Seconds later Sakura stood up giving instructions to take her to the remaining patients. She needed to go through all those who required urgent care so that she can work on the antidote. However none of this sat well with the ex avenger. He saw how exhausted she was making him worry.

"Let go of me Sasuke!" Sakura demanded trying to release her hand off Sasuke's grip. If she had her normal strength then releasing herself would have been simple instead of struggling how she was.

"No. You're resting now." Sasuke said pulling her out of the room giving her no option to continue treating the patients. Everybody else in the room was enjoying the sight of the two war legends fighting especially with one of them being Sasuke Uchiha. The concerned he was displaying for Sakura was one of a kind. Obviously people would stay there milking as much as they could from the situation. Well almost everybody for Karin was not happy of the scene.

"Sasuke-kun why do you even care" Karin muttered to herself. She didn't enjoy seeing her future man, at least in her mind, caring so much for a girl.

"I said stop it! Are you deaf?!" these were the shouts heard from the hallway.

"If you don't stop shouting I will…Don't make me carry you Sakura." Sasuke hissed.

"Psh, like you can with one hand!" Sakura blurted determined to make Sasuke release her one way or another.

"Try me" Sasuke challenged.

"Argh Sasuke! How come you're getting in my business when you didn't let me in yours when you claimed yourself as an avenger!" Sakura replied enraged.

"What did you say?" Sasuke asked stunned never expecting her to remind him of his old self.

"You always kept telling me you were an avenger and to stay out of it. Well Sasuke, I'm a medical-nin whose job is to save lives. This implies enduring hardships when the situation calls for it. This is why you brought me isn't it?"

"Sakura you don't need to overdo it?"

"I'm sorry but you weren't there to see me become who I am now. You can't possibly know when I'm overdoing it. So just trust me when I say if you stop me from my duty I won't forgive even you."

Sakura said these words hoping to trigger old memories in him so he can understand her.

"Do as you please then" Sasuke said letting go of her hand and walking away fast.

_Way to go Sakura. You pissed of Sasuke._

Sakura felt her words were harsh to him but it was the truth. He has been gone from her life for so long that he doesn't understand how capable she is. And even if Sakura loved him, she couldn't let him undermine her skills as a medical-nin. This was something she earned with hard work, sweat, and a lot of broken body parts. She had a commitment to the people she needed to fulfill.

_I'll just talk to him later._

"Sakura whatever you need Karin and I are here to help" a voice from behind spoke up. She turned around to see Jugo and an annoyed Karin waiting for her response. Sakura nodded and went back to helping her patients and create that damn antidote.

* * *

"You're finally awake" Karin said leaving her food on top of a table in her room.

"Thank you" Sakura replied. Indeed she was thankful to the woman in front even if they had their differences. When she finished the antidote she fainted thanks to chakra depletion. Karin then allowed herself to get bitten so that Sakura could heal rapidly.

"No need to thank me." Karin sighed knowing she wasn't doing anything under the kindness of her heart.

"Well you helped me earlier and now you're bringing me food. I'd say the very least I can do is say thank you." Sakura said walking towards the table.

"Let's get one thing straight. If I'm nice and cooperative is for Sasuke-kun and perhaps because you saved my life once. But that was once so don't think I'll be repaying you for the rest of my life." Karin said coldly.

"I…"

"Did you understand? I'm behaving like this for the future Sasuke-kun and I will have. Now eat because he'll kill us all if you die on us." Karin continued intending of marking her territory.

"Okay I guess" Sakura responded not knowing what to think or say. She feels grateful for Karin's help but that woman also irritated her to no end.

"Oh and next time think twice before you say such harsh words to my Sasuke-kun!" Karin blurted before exiting her room.

"May I come in?" Jugo asked standing by the door after Karin had left.

"Yea. Was just about to eat breakfast…Wait, should I make sure it isn't poisoned?" Sakura teased before taking her first bite.

"Nah, Karin is crazy but not crazy enough to harm you. Unless she wants to feel Sasuke's wrath that is." Jugo replied entering the room.

_There it is again. How come everybody implies Sasuke will get upset with them if I get hurt? Am I that important to him? _

"We're just friends. I don't think he'd overreact." Sakura replied carefully hiding the sadness the truth of her words brought her.

"He speaks highly of you so I think overreacting would be an understatement actually."

_He speaks about me?... No Sakura! Snap out of it._

"Well he speaks highly of all of his teammates including the blonde one" Jugo added.

_And here I thought he had forgotten about us. I'm so at a loss right now._

"I want to speak to him Jugo. I didn't insist last night because you were right about giving him space. But now it's a new day so please tell me where he is." Sakura pleaded moving her stare from the food to him.

_Please tell me where he is. I really need to talk to him to clear things out._

"I think it's best if you just let him come to you. Don't you have more patients to tend to? Wouldn't he be a distraction?"

_He has a point. I'll just have to deal with Sasuke later. Who knows, maybe this will ease my mind too. _

"Yea…Maybe you're right. I'll just wait." Sakura finally replied returning to her food.

"Alright. I just stopped by to make sure you were okay. Call me up when you're ready to go to the hospital." Jugo stated as he was exiting the room. For some reason his concern bothered her a bit thinking it was due to Sasuke being overprotective.

"Did he assign you as my bodyguard? Because if he did…" Sakura said with clear displeasure in her voice.

"He asked me to help you in any way possible. That's all….By the way Karin has no chance with Sasuke. So pay no attention to her creative mind."

Sakura's displeasure quickly transformed to embarrassment. Were her feelings for Sasuke that obvious even when she has tried to hide it from the world?

"We're just…"

"Friends…Yea I heard." Jugo said cutting her statement off.

* * *

"Again?! Man I swear he is avoiding me!" Sakura muttered when once again Sasuke had vanished the moment she sensed him close by. She was frustrated because she hasn't seen him since the argument. And every time she felt him close he'd be gone within seconds. At first she took it as coincidence. Soon she realized it was him avoiding her when the same occurrence kept happening. Her realization then confirmed to her that indeed something was bothering Sasuke. She started noticing when she felt a strange sensation when she sensed him nearby. The same strange sensation she felt when he left the village. This worried her so she put it upon herself to find him. To tell him that he can count on her if he needs someone to be there even if it's in silence.

* * *

Sakura was walking when she heard a hawk approaching the village gate. She immediately recognized the hawk was from Konoha.

_This means Sasuke is there!_

Without doubt she ran to the same direction as the hawk hoping she would come across Sasuke. This time her plan worked because there he was reading the scroll. From the expression of his face he seemed content with what he was reading.

_C'mon Sakura talk to him. This is the ultimate test to your friendship. Stay strong. And remember, he will only confide in you if you remind him that you're only his friend. This means you don't stutter or blush. You approach him with confidence._

Sakura was preparing herself mentally for her confrontation with Sasuke. She needed to choose her words wisely especially her actions. The goal for her was to prove to him she was okay with the friend zone. And that he can count on her like he can with Naruto. This means the Sakura who is in love with him must be locked. In other words no tears, blushes, nerves, mumbles and any sign of trembling. Only the strong, independent, loving in a friendly type person she was. This is what she kept repeating to herself. If she showed any sign of romance than Sasuke most likely will not take her nor her confession slash clarification a serious deal. She needed to be victorious in this because she vowed to be accepting and supportive.

_Oh gosh I don't think I can do this….Yes I can…_

**"Is that a message from Kakashi-sensei?"**

_Good! You sound confident._

**"He is sending the dobe as backup."**

_Awesome! Maybe Naruto can make him talk._

**"Ah. Well that's if he manages to find the village" **

_Smooth one Haruno!_

**"Hn." **

_I should get him a dictionary for his birthday._

**"Going somewhere?" **

_Hmm. Perfect timing to lighten the mood with a joke. I hope he doesn't mind if I joke about Karin._

**"Yes actually. I got so annoyed of this village, especially your teammate Karin, that I have decided to abandon this mission to go to a more sane place."**

_Man I'm killing it! Being Sasuke's friend is becoming easier than I thought…No answer… I guess he still isn't someone to joke with… Maybe he got upset when I mentioned Karin._

**"Kidding!... Sorry, it sounded funnier in my head. I'm actually on my way to find some medical herbs. I've been able to treat using the supplies they had in stock. With these herbs though I'll be able to heal certain patients faster."**

**"Why isn't Jugo with you?" **

_Not this again. The point of this conversation is to make things better between us; not worse._

**"Because poor guy needs to rest. Besides I am more than capable of defending myself. Not to brag but I am jounin."**

**"Sakura..."**

_Here we go again._

**"Don't. This is what caused the argument we had days ago. Before we go too far let's just drop it. Don't want things to get more awkward as they are now." **

_Great! Now I'm irritated._

**"Awkward?" **

**"Yup. You've been acting strange since the argument. Or more accurately, you've been avoiding me."**

_Where did I get such bravery? Must be my determination._

**"I haven't been avoiding you."**

_Lies!_

**"Yes you have. Look I'm not stupid. I haven't seen you for days. And the times I've sensed you nearby; you are magically gone when I get closer. Don't worry, I'm sure whatever is bothering you has nothing to do with the argument. If anything, you probably won't share with me what's on your mind thinking I'm mad at you. "**

**"Nothing is bothering me." **

_Since when have you become such a liar?_

**"You forget I know when you're hurting. News flash! I was a crazy fangirl once who was so committed I learned to read your different states. Look I'm not mad at you okay. And I know it must be hard to tell me anything considering my most recent confession slash clarification...Here is the thing, I am doing well with that. So please if you need a friend don't hesitate to confide in me. I know I'm not Naruto but I'm still a friend who cares and worries about you."**

_Please Sasuke understand. I hurt when you hurt. Just trying to be a supportive friend. Nothing more, I promise!_

**"Sakura I can assure you I'm okay."**

**"Yet I don't believe it..." **

_You're so stubborn! Alright Sakura time to show him the good of friend you are._

**"I don't know if Naruto has mentioned that he left the village to train when you did. When I confessed to you I told you I'd be alone if you left. Well I did but having Naruto and Kakashi there helped because believe it or not they became my family too. When Naruto left to train and Kakashi started to get more missions I felt devastated. I can say that was when I felt the loneliest because the three of you left me. I trained and became closer to the rest of the rookies especially Ino. None was able to fill the emptiness from the absence of team 7 though. Often times I'd get jealous of the other genin teams seeing how our team broke. Throughout all of this time I was able to endure the loneliness with my training shishou provided. One day though I snapped. I let my loneliness get the best of me to the point I caused major damage to a section of the forest. After I was done I cried nonstop for hours until someone came along... Take a wild guess who it was."**

_Bet you won't guess._

**"No idea"**

_I'm good!_

**"You're no fun...It was Rock Lee. Seeing me in the terrible state I was he somehow knew I needed comfort. That is exactly what he did. Now Sasuke, normally he comes to me with flirty phrases but that moment he didn't. What he told me came from a genuine friend who wanted to comfort me and nothing more. He hugged me with a warmth that calmed my nerves. And then he whispered to my ear, 'You're not alone. You will always have a protector and a friend in all of us. And if you ever forget then just remember the forest of death incident '. He then gave me a smile before leaving. What he said was true, during the forest of death fight with the sound shinobi's I witnessed how everybody tried to help us out. So indeed I wasn't alone."**

_Lee is such a good friend. I'll never forget how he touched my heart that day when I felt like crap.…Hey I should do a similar gesture. Obviously somebody who is only a friend would have the bravery to do it. It wouldn't mean anything but support. I didn't feel anything romantic for Lee when he comforted me…._

**"Sakura I'm sorry"**

_Ok kissing him on the cheek felt good and sincere. Yea it's nothing more….I think…Of course it isn't…It just felt a little weird because I'm not used to being straightforward as a friend with him._

**"Sasuke you're not alone either. You will always have a loving friend in me. Whatever is bothering you; don't feel you have to go through it on your own."**

_This should get the message through. I passed my ultimate friendship test!_

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yes this Sakura is super crazy inside. Poor girl she is trying her best to lock her love away and be what she thinks Sasuke wants which is a friend. But oh, oh, it seems Sasuke took that innocent kiss in the cheek a different way in the previous chapter.

Enjoy :)!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. My respects for Kishimoto for creating an amazing manga full of great characters.

**Chapter POV:** Sasuke Uchiha

* * *

_Blood. Death. Destruction. Tragedy. This is exactly what Sasuke and the rest of his teammates found when they walked into an isolated village. Sasuke knew the ninja they were following was toying with them. And now he understood why. He intentionally led them here to once more play with Sasuke's head. This was going too far though. Replicating the night that changed Sasuke's life was a low blow especially using innocent lives to get their message across. The sight disgusted him and hated how it provoked him to revisit the day he desperately is trying to let go of. _

_"Karin are they all dead?" Sasuke asked with a slight hope she will reply with a no._

_Karin nodded. He noticed her sad and disturbed look. Sasuke knew she too had a tragic past so it didn't come as a surprise seeing her down. Sure she has many faults and he found her a pest most of the time. But she too was human with the ability to feel compassion when the time calls for it. And this was one of those rare occasions. _

_"Wait...I feel a faint chakra signature...Over here." Karin shouted almost happy before running. She signaled the direction of the presences she felt so her teammates could follow. On arrival they saw a young boy crying over what is assumed were his parents. The little boy was holding tightly to a woman's hand. The man and woman's corpse had splashes of blood everywhere. Their death was definitely slow and painful. Based how the boy was crying and staring at the bodies he could tell the boy witnessed their brutal death. _

_"Mommy...Daddy...Please wake up...PLEASE!... MOMMY...DADDY!" the little boy pleaded crying not noticing the strangers near him. Sasuke could see the same pain he once had when he was seven years old. The frustrating optimism to see his parent's eyes open when he knew it was impossible. The self hate of not being capable of changing the fate of his loved ones. The thought of living a life without them at his side through all the years of growing up. But most importantly, the fear of solitude that followed._

_"Hey there kiddo..." Karin said gently moving towards the boy to avoid scaring the child. Sasuke could tell Karin was trying her hardest not to give in to her tears. She understood the loneliness the boy was feeling. _

_"NO GET AWAY! HAVEN'T YOU DONE ENOUGH?!...WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT?!" the boy shouted getting in front of his parent's bodies in a protection stance. His reaction to protect his family's body instead of his own life surprised Sasuke. He expected the little boy to get scared instead of confronting them head on._

_"I WON'T LET YOU HURT THEM MORE. YOU'LL HAVE TO KILL ME FIRST" the boy continued giving a glare Sasuke was familiar with. One that screamed hatred and thirst for blood. The boy's reaction allowed Sasuke to realize why they kept them alive. His survival wasn't a coincident._

_"We won't hurt you kiddo nor your parents. We only want to help." Karin replied pleading the boy to calm down. _

_"LIAR! They told me the person responsible of all my people's death would soon come...A-a-and he would offer help...B-But not to accept because it's a lie..They told me only them could help me."_

_The boy fought the urge to sob using the suffering he felt for strength to face who he considered his enemy._

_"Help with what?" Suigetsu asked. He was interested in why the boy was placing the blame on them and protecting who he had seen killed everyone. It seemed the trauma has made the boy delusional._

_"Revenge" the boy glared without blinking as he looked straight into Sasuke's eyes. _

_"Kiddo you do realize we're not the ones who murdered your family. I'm sure you saw who did this and it sure wasn't us." Karin replied insisting to get through to the boy. She wasn't liking his demeanor nor the aura his chakra gave all of a sudden. _

_"They told me the only reason they killed everyone was because they were forced to. They are victims themselves."_

_"Why didn't you go with them?" _

_Unlike the rest, Suigetsu was becoming annoyed of the child. They were only trying to help. What did they get in return? Hated words and glares. Some people are so ungrateful he thought._

_"Because I needed to see the face of the monster who is responsible for their death. I wanted to see face to face with Sasuke Uchiha." _

_Giving them no time to reply the little boy vanished alongside his parent's bodies. _

_"Can you believe that kid?! He is crazy. How old do you think he was anyways?" Karin immediately said with the intention to brush off any emotions the boy triggered in her._

_"Not older than 10 years old" Jugo replied tapping her should as an effort to provide comfort. _

_"Ugh! Blaming you for the death. You weren't even here...hey Sasuke-kun where are you going?"_

_"They all need a proper burial."_

_"Man...do we have to help?" Suigetsu yawned not feeling the mood to do work._

_"Suigetsu" Jugo retorted. This wasn't the time for his typical complaints. _

_"I know, I know...We have to support Sasuke." he mumbled with a lazy tone moving to the direction Sasuke headed._

_Sasuke wasn't thrilled at the situation. Once more he was causing pain when he never meant to. The boy was right and this hurt Sasuke deeply. It was his fault innocence was ripped from the boy. He may have not physically massacred the people in the village but they were dead because they were trying to hurt him. They were objects used to break him. At first he thought getting forgiveness from team 7 was going to be the toughest part of seeking a new chance at life. But that turned out to be the easiest because they had forgiven him long before he desired it. No, the toughest part was learning to live with his past and deal with the consequences of his actions. Ever since the encountered the first ninjas who announced their plan to end him; he wondered what he did to them. Nothing came to mind though this didn't mean they were wrong. They wouldn't sacrifice their own lives nor of civilians for a senseless revenge. Perhaps he deserved the suffering he was enduring with all of the emotional attacks. However, the people they killed did not. And for those victims he needs to stop them at all cost and will accept any fate that comes with the package. _

_"If a monster is what they want; then they might just get it", Sasuke thought._

_Sasuke understood the implications of his thoughts. Anybody would view this as regressing back to his old ways. Naruto and Sakura definitely wouldn't be too thrilled. Still, he couldn't help it. As how hard it was for him to admit; the enemy was getting their way with him. No matter how many of them were killed more of them would pop up with the same goal to destroy him. It almost felt like a cult whose whole purpose was to make his existence a living hell. He didn't know who started it all. If he did then he'd place all his efforts to find this person because surely the rest would give up. Or at least he hoped._

_"How are you holding up?" a voice from afar asked walking to the direction where Sasuke was digging holes for the bodies. The orange hair teammate grabbed a shovel to help his friend with the digging. _

_"Fine" Sasuke replied not bothering to turn to face his teammate. He was sweating, covered with dirt and his hand showed signs of bruising with small cuts. Jugo noticed his state. _

_"There is no need to physically dig the holes for the dead. We can use a jutsu for this. It will save us lots of time and labor."_

_"It's the least I can do."_

_Jugo sighed. Sometimes he wished Sasuke wasn't so stubborn. Especially when he'd end up hurting himself senseless._

_"Is this your way of punishing yourself? Look none of this is your fault."_

_"They died because they were after me. Leave it at that."_

_"Maybe you should consider going back home to your friends for a while."_

_"I don't have a home" Sasuke scolded. Saying these words disturbed him because it was an instant betrayal to Naruto and Sakura. He didn't mean to say it so fast. Yet he did because his mind was conflicted with everything. Again he noticed how the whole ordeal was affecting him._

_"You don't mean that."_

_"My priority is to find the leader and kill whoever it is."_

_"I understand. But you only want to kill the leader right? To avoid more casualties?"_

_"No. I want to show the leader what it means to truly break someone before killing."_

* * *

Sasuke was still frozen in the same place Sakura had announced her full support to him with a seal in the form of a kiss. A gesture where her soft rosy lips touched his scarred cold cheeks. He felt her sincerity in her touch among other things he had yet to identify. For some reason this brought peace within him. She was able to calm his nerves in a single moment which he found annoying. It reminded of the time when she was able to calm his darkness when he was consumed during the chunin exams upon seeing her beat up state. He desired nothing more than to shed the blood of the person who dared touch her. No he wanted more than that. He wanted to break the fool in an unforgettable agonized way for hurting her. Yet with her touch and plead he was able to retrieve from that cynical desire back to his old self. Somehow this girl with pink hair had some sort of power over him he wasn't liking one bit.

Sasuke soon snapped out of his trance when he felt three unknown chakra signatures in the same direction Sakura had left to gather the herbs. He instantly started running to her side while cursing himself for not going with her in the first place. As he was running he saw birds flying out of the trees implying a fight. His heart began to beat faster and faster fearing the worst.

_Snap out of it. She is more than capable. Damn it! Why didn't you just go with her instead of being stupid._

Before he reached Sakura he noticed one of the chakra he had sensed disappeared increasing his impatience.

"Sakura" he shouted when he reached her location. Sasuke was relief when he saw Sakura standing in front of two bodies lying in a hole she obviously made with her immense strength. She was smiling with her hand on her waist with a proud look as the wind was caressing her face. Not that it matter but in that moment Sasuke immediate thought was how beautiful she stood there in victory.

"Oh hey Sasuke, took you long enough" Sakura teased snapping Sasuke out of his current admiration towards her. Her attention soon shifted to the two men she defeated. Sasuke couldn't help but give them a death glare for attempting to hurt his teammate.

"Alright gentlemen, since playtime is over I think it's time to get serious. Why did you attack me?" she asked changing her smile to a death glare. One that matches Sasuke's or so he thought. At the sight of her glare and fist filled with chakra the two men in the hole gulped. They knew what they were in for if they angered the kunoichi. This amused Sasuke.

"W-we...t-thought you were the enemy" one of them answered attempting to get himself to a more comforting position.

"Enemy?" Sasuke intervened raising an eyebrow. Hearing this was strange because who on earth would think Sakura was an enemy. By looking at the two men it was obvious they weren't rogue shinobi. Their eyes nor their behaviors showed any intent of malice. They even wore a headband of an allied village. Therefore they wouldn't initiate an attack unless they felt threatened. Sakura may have anger issues when her buttons are pushed but there is no way she would come off as a threat during first impressions. If anything, she always has been sweet and cheerful when meeting strangers surprising them when she reveals her angry side. This only means they attacked on sight because they already had considered her an enemy before finding her.

"Yes. You see we have close ties to this village. At a inn nearby we were told by several shinobi that this village was under attacked and they were on the way of saving it from the perpetrators. So we came to help. They mentioned the leader was a kunoichi with pink hair. When we saw you picking up herbs we saw an opening to strike so we took it. Then we saw your headband from the hidden village of the leaf and realized our mistake. We are sorry."

Sasuke has never liked being wrong but in this case he was hoping he was. She was a target. He had the urge to interrogate them. He resisted because he knew they were only pawns to whoever targeted Sakura so they couldn't have the answers he needed. The best they can do is describe who they talked with. But they were probably smart enough to use a jutsu to change appearance. The possibility of them being idiots did cross Sasuke's mind. However, he sensed a third chakra and only two shinobi fought Sakura. Obviously someone else was watching the whole scene; most likely gathering intel on her. Something an idiot wouldn't do especially when they only left after Sasuke got closer to Sakura's position. What bothered Sasuke more was how these strangers held the knowledge of Sakura's whereabouts. It seems they had silently visited the village making him hate himself for not noticing.

"Sasuke can you see with your eyes if they are under any transformation jutsu?" Sakura asked the poker face teammate who was focused in his thoughts. He nodded.

"Wait...What?! We're allies. See?" The other shinobi who hadn't gotten up blurted and pointed to his headband as evidence. He was displeased with the famous eyes being used against them. The other shinobi gave the same feared expression.

"Sorry guys we need to verify you're not the enemy in disguise. Besides it won't hurt."

"They are good. I think they speak the truth."

The two shinobi sighed with relief at this confirmation. They soon found the strength to jump out of the hole when they were able to feel better from the beating they received from the kunoichi.

"It seems our friends are coming for round 2. They probably wanted to test the waters by sending these two over. If they knew I was here then how in the world did we not sense them before. And why me? No offense Sasuke but my first guess would be you since you're the first one who came to the village's aid."

He couldn't agree more with Sakura on why she was the target. If they had seen her then they had seen him for sure. Yet she was the one being pointed at and not him. He soon remembered how his past enemies used others to hurt him. Inside he panicked considering the possibility history could repeat itself except this time they would hurt her to get to him.

_Could it be?! No they are gone. They were killed long ago. But again we never found 'his' body. What if 'he' survived and started to recruit? _

"Could be someone else" he muttered without intending to. When he realized what he said he hoped she hadn't heard him.

_Stop thinking about this! They are history. 'He' is history. My nightmares is the only reminiscence of that time. _

"What do you mean?" Sakura questioned with eyes on him.

_She discovered the poison. This could by why she was targeted and not me. _

"Nothing" Sasuke replied with a cold tone. He wanted Sakura to drop the conversation and knew he could accomplish this being cold to her.

_Tch. No matter how much I want to abandon the possibility of 'him' being the culprit I can't. I shouldn't have never brought her here._

"You just said it could be someone else. Doesn't sound like nothing to me."

"Let it go Sakura!" Sasuke hissed annoyed at her insistence. He felt bad for replying to her in a rude tone. The hurt facial expression didn't help with his guilt. But he had to so she can stop pestering him on the subject.

"See? I wasn't wrong when I said you're acting strange." Sakura said using a soft and offended tone.

"Then stop being so annoying ... I'm heading to the village. Follow me if you please."

_I'm sorry Sakura..._

Sakura was dumbfounded with Sasuke's mood change. She thought she was getting through to him with the moment they had earlier. They had spoken calmly to the point he let her get closer to him as a friend. She even sensed worried when he found her with the two shinobi's. So hearing his harsh voice and walking away as always confused her. She should be angry with him but something was telling her not to. Her conclusion was he was keeping a secret from her; maybe even from Naruto. It seems she will need to have a long chat with her best friend when he arrived.

"You two, I think it's best you come to the village with us. You can rest there and gather supplies. And while you're at it you can describe the shinobi's you encountered."

The two shinobi nodded and she picked up her bags with the herbs she needed. They all followed Sasuke to the village. Without knowing both Sasuke and Sakura had the same bad feeling that something was about to go wrong.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oh man, are we going to see the return of dark Sasuke-kun?! Thanks all who's following this story and for comments received :)!


End file.
